Croatia Photo Diary

We've been home for over a week and slowly getting back into the swing of things at our respective workplaces. Our holiday provided the most perfect time to relax and unwind, so much so that it has taken me a little longer than usual to get my head back into gear. 

This holiday was very last minute for us but it turned out to be just what we wanted. Lots of time to chill out and dip into the beautiful Adriatic Sea, delicious food and drink, kind and friendly locals and hotel staff and stunning surroundings with the opportunity to explore as much or as little as we wanted. Ah, typing about it is sending me into a holiday dream-like daze. Anyway, I wanted to share a snippet of photographs from our time away in Croatia. I say 'snippet' but I'll let you be the judge of that after you've scrolled down for 10 minutes ;)

I love getting inspiration and a feel for someone else's holiday so I hope that you enjoy this post and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask away in the comments section below. 

Beautiful sandy beach with crystal clear waters

An afternoon wine tasting // A little blue boat bobbing along // Sunrise

Cute little boat and a gorgeous sunset

Koločep port by sunset

Palm trees & pink blooms // Green succulent-like bush //
A sweet cacti & succulent garden

Stradun in Dubrovnik Old Town by day

Bell tower in Dubrovnik monastery

Dubrovnik Old Town

Dubrovnik coastline

Stradun in Dubrovnik's Old Town by night

Locally caught fish (it's name sounded something like Loca) //
Black & white cuttlefish risotto // Tomato & mozzarella salad //
Sea bass // Bruschetta

Island life

Have you enjoyed your summer holiday yet or have you got one planned for the future? Where are you going or where have you been? Have you ever tried Croatia?

Claire x

Pinch, Punch

Good day to you, and welcome to July! 

We're over half way through the year, can you believe it? There's something that I want to be open and honest with you about and it's that I am currently dramatically failing at achieving any of my 'Home Goals' that I shared way back in January. Other things have stepped in and taken priority or we've just not had the time or funds. I'm certainly not going to beat myself up about it because I'm very happy in our home, however it may come, and that's what's important to me. 

Anyway, summer is apparently here and I am definitely a fan of the warmer months and really want to try and make the most of being outside. We've even got a last-minute getaway booked for my husband's 30th birthday to look forward to next week. I'm rather excited! 

I also wanted to let you know that I was back over on the Object blog the other day, if you fancy heading over for a quick read. I'm discussing decluttering techniques for a healthy house and mind. 

Have a happy hump day! :)

Claire x

Mayday

I know that we're already a whole week into May but my laptop has recently been throwing a wobbler, making it nigh on impossible to blog. Apologies! May is currently choc-full of things to do and people to see. I do hope I get chance to get back on the blogging wagon because I really am missing it.

Sunday was my birthday and I had a wonderful time celebrating throughout the whole of the bank holiday weekend. I ate, I drank and I ate and I drank. A lot. It was a great weekend all round. 

I managed to snap this photo of some glorious blossom before the weather in Manchester turned nasty. I know it's a total blogger cliché but I LOVE blossom. It makes me so happy to see it in full bloom. So much so, that I made my husband stop the car so that I could take this picture. 

Claire x

PS. Happy voting!

March Is Here

Yesterday we said a big 'Hello!' to March. I welcomed the start of the new month with pancakes for brunch and an hour or so tidying up the garden. It's so pleasing to see the little daffodil bulbs poking their way through the soil and discarded leaves. Spring is just around the corner and I cannot wait. 

I've collected several of my favourite blog posts from the past month. If you're in need of an inspiration boost then why not have a peruse:

Maps for ART on Chapter Friday
Comfort FOOD with Cupcakes and Cashmere 
A DIY pom pom wall hanging with A Beautiful Mess
Inspiration to ESCAPE the daily grid for Småland from Yvestown 

Claire x

February

Hello and welcome to February!
January always seems to whiz by for me. The first month of 2015, in particular, seems to have left me feeling a little bit cheated due to feeling under the weather for a large portion of it. I'm counting on February for more high quality doses of inspiration and, who knows, maybe I'll have chance to think about starting to tackle my Home Goals to-do list. 

Here's a mini round up of some of my favourite blogger's posts from the past month:

A must-try vegan cheesecake RECIPE from Arianna's Daily
Black, white, pink and grey ROOM inspiration over at The Decorista
Origami obsessed thanks to this DIY from Design Sponge
Getting the feel for some Illamasqua MAKE-UP with In The Frow
Great BLOG and branding tips from Cat Crawford Blog

Do you have any plans for February? Has your 2015 got off to a good start?

Claire x

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Beat The Blues

This week has been my first full week back at work since before Christmas and it has not been easy. January can be a tough one to get right so I think it's important to try and plan various fun things to do to help us glide through the month instead of struggle. 

Luna graduated from puppy class last year and we've got her first dog training class in the 'Novice' group on Wednesday. I'm a very proud Mum. Then at the weekend we're going to a restaurant we haven't been to before with friends. Simple pleasures!

A recent January sunset at Happy Little Places HQ

One of my favourite things to do with spare time is catch up on my favourite blogs. Here's a selection of inspiring blog links to get you going this January:

Natural light PHOTOGRAPHY tips from A Beautiful Mess.
An annual DECORATING report from Simply The Nest.
A delicious looking and healthy Shepherd's Pie RECIPE over at Stefanie Grace.
A beautifully calming BEDROOM before and after from Stylizimo. 

What plans have you made to beat the January blues? 

Claire x

Home Goals

As well as sharing my general plans for 2015 here, I thought you might be interested to read my plans for our home this New Year. 

Our hallway when it's seen better days (and light!)

Decorate the bathroom: I've mentioned previously how I've been feeling the need to decorate our bathroom and hopefully this will be the year that we get round to it. I want to say goodbye to the current pastel yellow and hello to something crisp and clean. I've been gathering inspiration on Pinterest, if you'd like to take a look.

Touch-up the hallway: I love our hallway. From the dark grey carpet on the stairs, to the light fittings and the radiator covers to the art on the walls. I think it is a great welcome to our home and accurately sets the tone for the rest of our house. However, it's been looking a little bit sad due to wear and tear. I guess that's the trouble with high-traffic areas like hallways. If you're planning on decorating a hallway, then make sure you go for a tough, hard wearing paint. Lecture over ;)

Sand and repaint kitchen cabinets: Our kitchen cabinets are a country-esque cream colour but over time they've become discoloured and cracked in places. They need some TLC. I think we will be able to get away with sanding and repainting them but if not then we might have to look into replacing the doors altogether. This will be a spring/summer job because we will need to do the sanding outdoors. 

Repair kitchen sink: Our kitchen and utility room boast Belfast sinks and I think they look fabulous, but a disaster recently struck one of them. Unfortunately a mystery chip has appeared on the rim of the kitchen sink. I actually nearly fainted* when I spotted it. Thankfully, after a little research I found that there are DIY repair kits, so I shall be giving this a go in the near future. Fingers crossed!

Repaint the outside of the house: We live in a typical Victorian red brick terrace and it's stone masonry is painted an off-white colour. It needs a fresh lick of paint to get rid of flakes, marks and paw prints (thanks, Bella!). This is going to be another warmer weather job. 

Decorate the utility room: The utility room at the back of our kitchen will be the last stronghold of the dreaded pastel yellow. This room requires a very hard wearing paint, as it's the first room we enter after walking our puppy. She is quite often wet and/or muddy so the walls are constantly getting wiped down. I'm yet to feel inspired about how to approach decorating the space so expect lots of new pins on my Pinterest boards in the near future. 

Plant a herb garden: I've already planted some Mint (don't worry gardeners, it's in a container and so won't take over my whole garden) and when the frost stops I'll be adding some Rosemary, Basil and Thyme. The wall baskets are just outside our kitchen door and so will be the perfect spot for us to nip out to when cooking. 

Well, I think that's about everything. Other bits and bobs may creep onto this list over the coming year and we may end up deprioritising some of the above tasks depending on time and money. I'm excited to get stuck in and of course I'll be sharing updates as often as I can. 

What are your decorating plans for the New Year? How do you prioritise what to do first?

Claire x

*slight exaggeration

Do

We've said our goodbyes to 2014 and it certainly wasn't an easy year to say goodbye to as there were plenty of ups and downs. Everyday my husband and I still feel the heartbreaking void left behind by our beloved Springer Spaniel, Zara. She was a huge part of our lives and to have her taken from us in such a traumatic way means that it will take us time to recover. Our new addition, little Luna the eight month old Springer-cross-Poodle puppy, has certainly helped and she brings a much needed ray of sunshine into our lives on a daily basis. I share more photos and glimpses into Happy Little Places HQ on Instagram (including puppy and kitty pictures) if you'd like to follow along.

I've never really made New Year's resolutions but here are a few things I'd like to try and do in 2015.

Mid-Christmas and New Year walk

Bake more: I used to bake semi-regularly and liked to try new recipes but this past year saw a noticeable lack of baking. I managed to make some mince pies in time for Christmas and a couple of banana breads here and there, but nothing new and nothing to write home about. If you have any uncomplicated and yummy recipes, please send them my way - remember I'm a baking novice ;)

Not worry so much about cleaning and tidying: I think it's perfectly normal to want your house to be as clean and tidy as possible. However, I apparently take this to another level and have genuine anxiety about maintaining a certain standard. Having pets has certainly helped me to understand that everywhere cannot be perfect all the time but I know I still have a way to go. Luna likes to pull all the stuffing out of her toys and generally create mess throughout the house. My husband would appreciate it if I managed to calm down the crazy cleaning lady in me. One solution that I have proposed is that we hire a cleaner, although I'm yet to win him over to this idea.

Invite people round for food more often: The meals don't have to be complicated or dinner party standard, just simple, tasty and good for sharing. Sitting round a table with family and friends is one of life's pleasures and is something we haven't done enough of this past year. Again, meal ideas are always welcome.

Move more, eat less sugar: I'm not one for diets and I'm certainly no gym bunny but I do eat fairly healthily and I get some exercise from walking aforementioned puppy. I know this is not enough and I hope to improve on this steadily throughout 2015. After Christmas and a whole month or more of overindulgence I need to step away from the chocolate bars and back towards the fruit bowl. 

What do you plan on doing in 2015? Have you set yourself goals? If you have any tips on achieving and maintaining any of the above, please get in touch through the comments below or through Twitter @happylilplaces.

Claire x

Received

I thought I'd quickly share a little selection of the gratefully received gifts that I found under my Christmas tree this year:

'it' by Alexa Chung so that I can channel my inner cool-girl, plus its dusky pink cover looks great on my bedside table; x2 little glass jars with birdie toppers which are super cute and will no doubt continue to pop up in my future #shelfies; the Remington Keratin Therapy Pro Dryer so I can at least try to get a little closer to the perfect blow out; Sigma Beauty Tapered Blending Brush E40 which will help me cover the dark circles as I recover from a season of overindulgence; a snuggly mink-coloured dressing gown to keep me warm through the winter nights; ESPA Body Lotion and Body Wash in a heavenly scent of Lemon, Ylang Ylang and Crushed Tonka Beans; and a galleried mirror tray to perfectly display my perfume collection. 

Huge thanks to my friends and family for my beautiful gifts :)
What lovely things did you discover in your stocking? 

Claire x

Hello, 2015

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Happy New Year!
How exciting to have a whole new year ahead of us?! I still can't quite believe that 2014 is a thing of the past but that doesn't mean I'm not ready for the future challenges, directions and joys of 2015. I say, bring it on!

I'll see you soon with some more interiors and lifestyle-type posts, once the champagne bubbles have left my system ;-)

Claire x