Wrapping Presents For A Guy

Just a quick post today - I thought I'd show you how I wrapped my brothers Birthday present. It was his Birthday last week, but as him and his girlfriend have come down today I thought I'd save it for him to open when he visits. This is just a really simple idea that can be done with stuff you may have around the house, or you can pick up pretty cheaply from DIY's and charity shops.

So this is roughly what you need, obviously you can adapt things, or take bits away.. but this is what I've used - 

A long piece of twine - Any good DIY

Scissors 

Tape

Large labels - Bailey's Home store 

Map - Charity shop

Stamps - Bailey's Home store

I took the map and opened it out, you want to cut the front cover off.. don't worry if it's not neat, it's very easy to cover up dodgy cutting. Lay the gift on the map, and use it as you would wrapping paper. The creases in the paper help if your wrapping something quite square or with edges, you can get really neat folds. I then took a good length of twine and tied it around the gift, fastening it with a simple knot. 

So here's the final product, I've layered two presents on each other, but you can work it how you like and feel will work best for your gifts. To finish it off I've added a large label - you could use small labels, or make one yourself out of card board, an old gift tag, or even a post card. I stamped onto the label using my go to stamps, it just adds a personal touch or a nice little message. Looking back on these pictures, I wish I stuck a postage stamp on the label, think it would've looked quite cute, sticking with the maps and travel theme. 

There you have it, a quick, easy and affordable way of wrapping a gift for the men in our lives. Have you got any fun wrapping ideas? 

xxx

I've Been Shopping #3

I seem to have acquired quite a few new bits and pieces over the past couple of weeks - I think it's because Summer 2012 has officially ended in the UK, now Autumn is well and truly on its way. I so much prefer Autumn dressing than Summer, I'm definitely more of a boots and fur kinda' girl than, hot pants and bikinis. I thought I'd share with you some bit's bought by me and my mum, she has a brilliant eye when it comes to looking for interesting pieces.

I first spotted these Massimo Dutti boots whilst in Paris last month, as it was boiling hot the thought of buying winter boots didn't really bode well with me. So I left them, but me being me, I couldn't stop thinking about them, so with my car boot earnings I ordered them and I absolutely adore them. I can't say I'm a massive shoe/boot person, so for me to be in love with a pair of shoes is big news. They literally go with everything - jeans, skirts, dresses. Just perfect for Autumn...

My mum found this leather bucket bag in a vintage shop last weekend. It's such an unusual shape. We both loved the fact it's so warn in, the leather looks so soft, making the bag feel quite relaxed. Like shoes, I'm also quite fussy with bags, I have about four that I switch between, and I rarely buy new ones, but this is fast becoming a new contender.

Also from the same vintage shop, which I'm yet to go to and I've only heard top notch things about is this old sailors pullover. If you've read a few of my other posts I mention a lot that I have a little obsession with anything nautical, so this literally is a dream item. If you look closely at the top right photo, you can see that it even still has he who ever it was that once owned this was name. Things like this I adore - there's nothing better than having clothes in your wardrobe with stories and memories behind them.

Have you guys found anything cool lately, or any great vintage/charity shops? I'd love to know...

xxx

Weekend In Bath

Bank Holiday weekends always leave me feeling completely off kilter.. I never know what day it is. It's a Tuesday evening and it feels like a Sunday in mid November. The past 5 days have been a complete blur - Friday I had a speed awareness test.. with my dad (don't ask), Saturday was Em's 21st Birthday party (she loved the present) then a very hungover Sunday we went to see Charlotte Church and finally early Monday morning me and Mat went to Bath for a night. We had a super time shopping, eating and checking out the history of the City, it really is a beautiful place to visit.. Here's just a snippet of the trip.

I sadly am a dunse when it comes to camera memory cards so didn't have much space to take endless snaps. I got a few goodun's of The Roman Baths, and a quick mosey round The Crescent. Had a lovely time despite the faux pas with my camera.

 I hope you enjoy the few pictures I took and had a lovely relaxing Bank Holiday yourselves, will look forward to posting about some interesting bits I've picked up the past couple of days and reading all your blog posts I've missed out on...

Harri xxx

Happy 21st Birthday Em x

This will possibly be the girliest, pinkest, sparkliest post you will see on this blog - It's one of my best friends Emily's 21st Birthday party tonight, and it was my job to buy and wrap the present. A job that I well and truly loved. I love nothing more than buying presents, wrapping them and buying all the novelty Birthday bits, I go crazy for it. Em is one of the girliest girls I know, she loves anything pink and sparkly, which made it great fun for me to pick out presents - I thought I'd share with you what I bought and how I wrapped it...

The lid holding the presents came from old packaging from a candle box, we often keep these around the house and use them for storage. They're usually pretty sturdy and come in nice colours or prints - you can also always cover them in wrapping paper or prints if you fancy a change. I picked up the "E" In Clintons in the sale, It was only as a little bit of decoration, but it'll make a nice Christmas decoration or to hang on her door. 

The presents were bought by all my friends, we each chip in and take turns on who actually goes and buys the gifts. I knew Em really wanted a charm for her Thomas Sabo bracelet, so I bought her the little 21, they always come in a cute box too. I picked her up two nail polishes, one was the blue sparkly Barry M and a minty Miss Sporty one, the pretty ring I found in Primark, also were the twinkly nail files. I really wanted to get some pink chocolate to add to the gift, my mum found these princess mints and the Angelina ballerina lolly (see the first pic, it's poking out the top).. everyone needs sweets on their Birthday!

Do you guys like wrapping and giving presents? Have you bought anyone nice recently?

 Ahh.. right I better get off and give the Birthday girlie her presents, hope she likes them :)

xxx

Retro Kitsch Kitchen Storage

I've had my eye on these kitchen storage jars for a while, I spotted them in one of the charity shops in my local town. This particular shop is probably my favourite - it's well merchandised, you don't have to sift through the crap, they put the good stuff out, but with this I've learnt the key is, if you see something great buy it when you see it. So many times I have mulled over something and when I've come back to buy, it's been sold.

I originally only wanted the Pasta pot, I think it's so kitsch and fun, and for £2 you can't really go wrong. It's not like I'm a culinary goddess or anything, but these will look great in my the kitchen of my new university house, and pasta is my best dish (thanks Dolmio).

I couldn't resist buying the set of three, flour, coffee and biscuit jars, they like the Pasta pot are uber kitsch. I love the crayon yellow colour and the bold typeface, they will add an element of fun to any kitchen. I paid £4 for the three of them, a complete bargain, for something that you definitely won't find anywhere else. 

It's definitely worth looking around charity shops if your after kitchen storage for a new house, if your a student like me and wanting something cool, but cheap, or your just wanting a little re-vamp. You can find some really quirky bits, that are so affordable, and affordable enough that if it breaks, it hasn't broken your bank. These jars would make a suitable home for cutlery, tea bags (my Uni essential), pens, utensils, anything! Just remember, it doesn't have to hold what it says on the tin...

I hope you like my new finds, let me know what you think, or if you've found anything quirky recently?

xxxx

A Hungover Sunday Jaunt

After being in the reclined position for the most part of Sunday both nursing hangovers, we decided we were in need of some fresh air and took a trip to a lake about 10 minutes from my house. In fact I never even knew they existed. I was meant to post these photos I took last night, but by 9:30 pm, I was snoozing. Signs of a good weekend if you ask me!

Hope you all had a super weekend, 

xxxxx

I've Been Shopping #2

I haven't done too much shopping this week, I'm doing a car boot sale this weekend, so I'm looking forward to spending the cash on some new boots I've had my eye on ever since I spotted them in Paris. The things I bought, I had been looking for, for a while.

I'd been after some place mats for my shed and bedroom for ages - I always have a cup of tea when I'm doing my make-up in the mornings and just before I go to bed so I'm forever leaving grubby stains (I'm a spiller). I hunted through TK Maxx and a few of the homey shops in my local town, but could only ever find really boring sets of 4 that had butterfly montages printed on or novelty cow print ones.. I bought these two place mats from Scribbler, it's a card and stationary shop, one that isn't local to me. I love all the hilarious cards they have, some extremely amusing and extremely explicit. These two were £1.99 each - I just couldn't help myself. 

I'd been feeling a little low on rings lately.. well I always wear four, they're ones that always stay on. I wanted some costume jewellery just to liven up some more simple outfits. I found this set of seven in the Topshop sale, I think they were half price, I paid around £7. I'm in love with the turquoise and gold chunky one and the fine gold band. The above the knuckle ring is also from the Topshop sale, it's actually a toe ring, but is small enough to rest where I like it. It came in a pack of three for about £2.00, but I wasn't really fussed on the others, maybe if the weather cheers up I'll adorn my toes with them, but for now they stay in the packet! 

Hope you liked my little purchases and enjoying the last of all the sales xxx

Flower Frog

I am a self confessed cosmetics junkie, I'm always buying nail polishes and lipsticks that quite frankly I don't need. So along with my little habit there is always the struggle to find space to store it all. I'm quite a messy person, so putting brushes and eye shadows away in cupboards and draws just doesn't function with me.. I like to have things out where I can use it quickly.

Whilst tidying up our heaving garage last month, my mum came across an old glass flower frog, which she thought would be nice for storing my make-up brushes. It's perfect for me as I can pop each of my most used brushes into the holder, rest it on my windowsil and I'm good to go in the mornings...

 If your anything like me and your not keen on dodgy storage which always ends up costing a bomb, this makes for a cheap alternative and it looks pretty cool too. The fact that it's glass always helps if your working with a small space too, it just blends any where you place it, yet still has affect. 

You can pick flower flogs up in charity shops and car boot sales cheaply (or as your granny if she has one lurking around) as they are pretty much a thing of the past... and If your not big into make-up you can always store pens, pencils or paintbrushes in one instead, or candles or joss sticks. The options are endless :) 

Let me know if you've tried this, or any other interesting storage solutions you have.. 

xxx

Balloon Fiesta

Was lucky enough to get to go to Balloon Fiesta this weekend, sadly it was too windy for the huge launch, but I got some snaps of the night glow. Had a lovely time eating Burritos and drinking beer under the sun - was the perfect weather to wear my new white dress, unfortunately I paired it with some Burkenstocks that wanted to absolutely destroy my feet..

Hope you all had a super weekend too,

and a special thanks to Big J x

I've Been Shopping #1

Yesterday I took a shopping trip with my Ma and Grandma - I can't say my local town is comparable to Covent Garden, but now and again I find some little gems. Here's what I picked up...

I found this book in TK Maxx. If you've never looked in the book section of TK Maxx your missing out - Often I've found brilliant Art, Design and Fashion books for a margin of their original cost. I picked up "The Vintage Tea Party" to show my mum as she and my dad are taking part in "Come Dine With Me" with their friends. The front cover is what really attracted me, it's beautifully illustrated. The recipes are traditional, but each have quirky little tweaks, coincided with images of interesting ways of presenting the food. I like this book as it's not as twee as the title would make it seem, it's actually pretty cool and even if your no Nigella Lawson (me included), it's one of those books that's nice to flick through and a bargain at £7.99.

Essie Polishes L-R Infatuation, E-Nuff is E-Nuff, Adore-A-Ball and Grow Richer

Another TK Maxx find much to my surprise were these Essie nail polish. The three coloured polishes came in a set for £9.99, which is an absolute steel seeing as I think I paid that price for one in Boots. I'm not sure if they're discontinued colours or last seasons range or something, but they pretty much suit my nail polish needs, especially "E-Nuff is E-Nuff" it's the perfect coral for summer. I also picked up a "Grow Richer" for about £2.99, as a serial nail biter anything that claims to speed up nail growth is my friend.

I found this little white smock dress in a YMCA down the dodgy end of town - I've been looking for something like this for about two months now after seeing a gorgeous one in All Saints. It cost me £4.99, possibly one eighth of the price of the All Saints dress, however my YMCA version is still great quality, weighty and has pretty embroidered detailing all over it. I'm not taken with the buttons, but those can easily be changed. I'm planning on wearing it this weekend (fingers crossed the weather stays nice) so I'll get some pics of it being warn as I don't think my photos show it's full potential.

Last thing I bought was completely a frivolous purchase on my part. This little coin purse cost me £1 from good ol' Primark. I'm a bit obsessed with anything sailor or nautical related (hence the ship on my header) so this just completely sucked me in, it had a red and white bow on, but I quickly got it removed. I don't know what I'll use it for as I rarely have change.. maybe I'll put receipts in it or something. It's fulfilled my maritime needs anyways!

Hope you liked what I bought :)

 Shed.

I wish I could take the credit for my little hideout, but it was completely the brain child of my mother. In no time at all she renovated B&Q's best, into a girly, relaxing retreat, filled with clever uses of vintage finds. It has been perfect for summer nights with a group of my best friends, too rainy days spent editing photos... I hope you enjoy.

These are vintage chairs we've had around the garden for a while, they're pretty rusty, but I love the aesthetic it gives to the shed. The little table was a little cabinet found in a charity shop, with an old trey simply placed on top coated with some basic white paint - This makes a great little storage unit for bits of magazines I cut up and things that I'm working on, also super for resting my candles and joss sticks on. 

We found this mirror in a charity shop in a local town, it cost under £10 which is an absolute steal, as we've seen them being sold in interiors stores for £40 and more. I absolutely love it, so feminine and glamorous, but also adds light to the shed. The fairy lights are solar, so they only come on at night, they make the shed super cosy, I shall try and get a night time snap! .. and as for they lovely Gentleman on the wall, that's my late Grandfather Janik - Isn't he a treat?!

Just some shed essentials - A radio, some cute paper plates (no one likes washing up)...

... a cwtchy blanket and some pretty vintage tins to keep small bits of clutter in.

As well as the two vintage chairs, my mum created these little cushiony lounge spots (with me giving you a demonstration) with poofs. My brother found this Lacoste one for his flat in TK Maxx, it had been lurking round our house for ages, but it fits perfectly in the shed. My mum has also added bulldog clips to the walls, simple and effective. I can change the pictures or bits I want to hang up whenever - currently I have a birthday card I bought for my dad (it's that famous pic of Picasso swearing) and some fresh lavender. The antlers were bought in an amazing junk shop in Paris called Objet qui Parle. 

This white kitchen chair is one of my mums household rejects that's made its way to my shed - I bet your thinking how the hell are fitting all this in a tiny shed, but it is surprisingly roomy and with the furniture and walls painted the same colour, it gives the illusion of a bigger space as everything blends together, which works really well. I found the book "My Cool Shed" when scouring interior blogs the other week, I bought it for my mums birthday of Amazon for about £8, it's a great little read if your looking for some "Shedspiration". 

On that note, I hope you enjoyed an introduction to my little hideout. If you have any questions about anything else I've photographed, feel free to leave me a message, would love to hear from you xxx