INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY!

Happy International Yoga Day, to all you gorgeous yogis out there.
It also happens to be Fathers Day and the Summer Solstice so today is a pretty special day!

TWENTY FIFTEEN.

I was a good three-quarters of the way through today before I realised it was February! Blimey, that crept up on us a bit. I don't feel like I've even had chance to catch up with myself after Christmas (but that's probably because we have 6 birthdays in the family, including mine!)

So this weekend I felt I needed to slow down a bit and take a breath.
Follow Kerry | MerryatSeven's board :: Twenty Fifteen :: on Pinterest.

The Great Interior Design Challenge.

 

The Great Interior Design Challenge- an elegant combination of Changing Rooms meets Great British Bakeoff, with a bit of British Sewing Bee thrown in for good measure. What could be better?

I don't want to frighten you but the last episode of Changing Rooms aired almost 10 years ago, so a brand new interior programme was well overdue! And this show really delivered- wetting the appetites of aspiring designers (myself included!) and demonstrating that anyone can have a gorgeous home, with a little bit of knowhow.

I found the show such an inspiration and so motivating. I purchased the book straight away and it is wonderful- bursting with beautiful photography, simple projects and nifty tips for styling and decorating your home.
If you see me around, I will most probably have my head buried in this book.

P.s. I also had a little delivery of some new washi tape this week- it didn't take long before it went to good use!

6/52

(Ok, yes I know this week is just a photo my legs- you'll have to bare with me on this...)

 

Mr H 'celebrated' his birthday on Tuesday, but ended up working all evening. So not much fun.

This weekend has been lovely- quiet, restful and calm. And the highlight was stumbling across these beauties.

3/52

This week has been one of highs and lows.
Number 7 is now officially on the market, with the first viewing yesterday. It all feels very real now.

We also found our dream house, lost our dream house, then snatched it back again. All in one week.
I'm not getting overly excited just yet- there is still a long way to go. But we are keeping everything crossed for this house.

Shop Love :: Mustard & Peaches

I first met Mairi, of Mustard & Peaches, at New Designers in 2012. I was immediately struck by her passion for her craft (and her sweet Scottish accent!)
That amount of glittering jewellery in one small space was pretty overwhelming but Mairi's work seemed to yell out at me, even though her pieces were by far the most understated. Her simple display allowed her collection of beautifully delicate, yet oddly shaped, rings to really stand out. I fell in love instantly.

We kept in touch over the following months because, like me, Mairi had just graduated from university and was finding her feet in the big wide world.
One of her business ideas was to invite couples, to her cosy house tucked away in the Northern Irish countryside, to make their own wedding rings. And in February, Steve and I were invited to be the guinea pigs! (Read about our amazing adventure here)

Since then, Mairi and her husband Adam have moved to a lovely London suburb. And at the weekend, we paid her a little visit in her adorable new studio.

Honestly, I cannot speak highly enough of Mairi. The newly launched range is absolutely stunning but if you're looking for something bespoke, Mustard and Peaches is truly perfect.

November love list...

I just don't what it is about November that I love so much.
Maybe it's because there's still a tiny bit of Autumn in the air or because the nights are drawing in and there's an even better excuse to snuggle up indoors! Or maybe because it's the calm before the mad rush of Christmas.
Either way, I feel all cosy inside when I think of November, and this year, it's going to be an especially good one!

This month, I'm loving...
* This wonderfully warming soup recipe (a great way to make use of the leftover halloween pumpkin!)

* Those chilly, misty mornings

* A toasty bonfire to warm those chilly hands, whilst oo'ing and ah'ing at the fireworks

* This blanket! (I know it's everywhere but it doesn't stop me wanting to snuggle up in it!)

* Finally, I cannot wait for my trip to this lovely country to see an even lovelier person!

On being a sister.

One lazy Sunday, a couple of months back, we decided to dig out some old family videos. My nan was chief film-maker and that chunky black box would go everywhere she went.

I was eight when my baby sister was born, on Christmas eve of 1999.
Comparing us when growing up, we couldn't have been more different. She was fair and I was dark. She looked like mum and I looked like dad. She was sporty and I, well, just wasn't!

But what was clear, from those family videos, was just how much I adored her. We lost count of how many times I said, "This is L. She is my sister. And this is what she can do." She would then proceed to demonstrate her newly learnt skill; either clapping, or crawling or doing this funny little screwed up face that would have us all in stitches!

This year baby L is going to be fourteen years old. And I am so proud of everything she is.

Back in the saddle!

When I was younger, I adored my weekly horse riding lesson but I haven't had a proper lesson since the stables closed down. So after finding out about Rein & Shine, a brand new local riding school, it was time to get back in the saddle! And yesterday, my sister and I had our very first lesson.

The school is wonderful; clean, organised and passionate. You can immediately tell they really care about making you a better rider; our horses were chosen for us based on our ability and our instructor spent 15 minutes after the lesson talking through our good points and things that could be improved upon.
For my sister, this was her first ever riding lesson and she was well looked after and, although I was pretty rusty (and I'm aching a lot today!), it all started to come back to me. I guess it's like riding a bike... with legs!

Oh, and this little beauty is Charlie. Isn't he gorgeous?

Weekend friends.

I'm sure you'll agree that weekends are all about relaxing with your loved ones. And this weekend was extra special for me, as I went to visit my wonderful best friends.
The hours were spent giggling and eating and catching up, as we haven't seen each other since May.
They are both doing so well in their careers and I am so proud of them; B has been working in Switzerland since February and E is writing the plans to follow her dreams.

P.s. B's house deserves a 10 page spread in Country Living magazine, it is utterly stunning!

Good news!

I've found myself a new job! Well actually, the new job found me. I wasn't looking for another job, as I quite enjoy my current one. Why is it that whenever you stop looking for something, it tends to find you?
Anyway, the new job is in the same building as Mr H, so not only can we car-share, we can go for lunch together! (Is that a little sad?)
It's gonna be pretty sad saying goodbye, as every single person I work with is so lovely, but it's time for a new challenge.
So I'm going to apologise in advance if I'm a bit slow on the blogging side of things , but you'll forgive me right?

Food festival 2013

After hearing such good things about the Food Festival at Gloucester Quays, Mr H and I spontaneously decided to check it out for ourselves and it certainly did not disappoint!
It was much larger than we'd anticipated, but not overwhelming, and there were some beautifully thought out stands, full to the brim with mouth-watering treats.

We grazed our way round, starting with some fantastic ham & cheese bread from a French bakery stall and lots of cheeky tasters. Then we grabbed some local cider and stopped for lunch at a camper van serving the most delicious, fresh Mexican taco's (very cleverly named Margo & Rita)
For dinner, we hunted down the best looking pie (from Plenty Pastry Ltd), accompanied by some veg from Brown & Green. Ok, I'm going to sound a bit crazy here but the carrots from Brown & Green were the most sensational carrots I have ever tasted - they were like little orange rays of sunshine!

 Overall, a fab day out for hubby and I- that's one thing we actually have in common, a love of great food. And the surroundings of Gloucester Quays made the day all the more lovely.

Shop Love:: Kingston Jewellery

Isn’t it just the best feeling ever when you come across a fab online shop, entirely by accident?

Well that is exactly what happened when I stumbled upon the amazing Kingston Jewellery, from Australia.

I wasn’t on the hunt for jewellery at the time but a piece really caught my eye on Pinterest & then I found the most wonderful etsy shop.

It may have been a bit of an impulse buy but it was so worth it! I absolutely adore my new necklace (& considering it came from across the globe, it came ridiculously quick!)

Happy Sofa-day!

We would like to introduce you to the new member of the family... Felix!
Ok, I know I must sound completely mad & yes, I do know Felix is a sofa. But this is a very special sofa. We have been lusting over Felix in John Lewis for years & madly saving up the pennies but now he's finally ours (woohoo!)

He is pretty handsome though, dontcha think? & he is lovely & snuggly to curl up on.
But I think he will look perfect with a few more cushions- I will sneakily buy them so hubby doesn't notice & then do that thing us girls love to do "What that? Oh no, that's always been there!"
I would love some recommendations for cushions... any suggestions?

Wimbledon Cake

(A confession to start... I made this strawberry cake to enjoy whilst watching the Wimbledon final. Well, Andy Murray may have made it to Sunday's final (& won, woohoo!) but the cake certainly did not! Hubby & I devoured the cake well before Sunday. Oops)

I'm trying to brush up on my baking skills & I really wanted to use the cake dome we received as a wedding pressie.
The easy option here would have been just to ask my sister to make me a cake because she is a total natural when it comes to baking. Bit of this, sprinkle of that; & hey presto, a lovely cake!
Me however, not so much. But I do make a cracking lasagne!

Anyway, I thought I would start by throwing together a really easy sponge. It's pretty much as easy as you can get. (The recipe is adapted from one I saw here.)

This strawberry cake is really soft & gooey & best served with cream (well it wouldn't be Wimbledon without strawberries & cream now would it!)

Wedding wall

Well we've finally got round to hanging our wedding photos- better late than never ey?
The planning of this wall became part of the wedding plans! We had a really clear vision of what we wanted and, armed with my dodgy spirit level & even dodgier maths, I think we nailed it (literally!)

The top print was a wedding pressie from my amazing uni friends & in case you were wondering, it's the coordinates of our wedding venue. How cool is that!
It's by The Drifting Bear Co. & their website is definitely worth a look- they sell some absolutely stunning prints (I'm already shopping for the next one)

Isn't it crazy...

... how time just flies!
I cannot believe I moved out of my beautiful house in Bath over a year ago. (I wrote this post exactly 1 year ago today!)
'The Castle' certainly had its fair share of quirks; the leaky ceiling in my room, the ladybirds, the scary inside/outside cupboard thing in the basement and the general wonky-ness of it all. Oh, & who could forget the 5 floors (a great workout though!)
But we had two very happy years there & we loved it.

On a different note, that also means I have been living with Mr H for a whole year! We'd only lived together for a few months before I headed off to uni so it was all pretty new. But I absolutely love living at number 7 & slowly but surely, it's starting to feel like home.

New love

My dear old laptop & I have been together for nearly 6 years but it's time to say goodbye. We've had good & bad times (more recently bad!) I will never forget when it had a total hissy fit the night before a deadline.

& I’ve been having a bit of a love affair… It was love at first sight when I saw this beauty a few weeks ago.

I chuckled when hubby said a new laptop would change my life, but he was so right! I’m totally & utterly smitten!

Oh, & I couldnt resist this amazing Orla Kiely laptop sleeve!

DIY :: Coloured leg table

We aren't really sure where this little table appeared from but I do know that it's pretty darn cute!
We've just painted the hallway Absolute White so the table looked a tad out of place (& plus, it was a bit grubby!) so thought I would give it a bit of a revamp.

First, I took it outside & gave it a good sanding (It was at this point I realised that the table was made of 3 different types of wood & the edges are a veneer & not real wood!)

Then to begin painting...
Ok, I probably should have primed it & used a proper furniture paint... but we had so much paint leftover from doing the walls, I just used that & it worked absolutely fine (but I promise I'll but the proper stuff next time!)

To paint the legs, I used masking tape to get a nice clean edge. Remember, to let the paint dry fully before peeling it off!

Tada! A brand new table. I don't think I will varnish it, I quite like the matte look.

 



Shop Love:: Willow Cabin placecards

I stumbled across these gorgeous placecards in the chaos of E-bay & instantly fell in love. I knew they would look fabulous & fit perfectly with our wedding theme.
However, it wasn't until after I'd bought them, that I discovered that the lovely Holly lives around the corner from our wedding venue! It was simply meant to be.

(I'll be chatting to Holly very soon so watch this space!)