happy little places: shopping

Friday, 31 July 2015

How Do You Like Your Espresso in the Morning?

Presented in a cute and colourful espresso cup, of course!

Well, actually I can't really drink espresso, as strong caffeine has been known to send me a little loopy. (Give me a cup of Yorkshire tea any day.) My husband, however, loves the stuff and now has a selection of suitably dinky espresso cups to choose from. He received them as a gift from my Mum for his recent birthday, and they are the perfect addition to our kitchen. Just look at them! They're from the House range at John Lewis, unfortunately I couldn't find them online but they have an equally as attractive Le Creuset set on offer at the moment.

Are you team coffee or team tea?

Claire x

Object

There's a new online concept store that requires your full attention. Object is a beautifully curated virtual shop for those on the search for unique and delightful pieces for the home, wardrobe and wedding. I've known Rachael, Object's founder, for a few years now and had the pleasure of working with her on several projects in the past. She's an incredibly dedicated entrepreneur, and has worked hard to hone her eye to create a strong and extremely aesthetically pleasing brand. You must check out the official instagram account, it is a vision of rose gold heaven!

I did a little guest post over on Object's blog where I discuss 'The Rise of the Sharing Traveller'. This involved some research into Behomm, a house swap website for creative professionals. My new aim in life is to get my home listed on their site, there are so many picture-perfect places to stay, in all far flung edges of this earth. Have a little read if you've got a spare moment. I guarantee you'll want a nosey.

I wouldn't be a very good 'interiors blogger' if I didn't show you a few of my favourite pieces from Object's 'Home' section. So, here you go:

Biscuit Thief Bone China Mug by Ink Inc

Lucky Wheel Print by Kristina Krogh

Trio of Grey Felt Storage Baskets

Medium Textured Weave by Maryanne Moodie

Silver and Black Glass Circular Wall Hanging

I bet you've already mentally loaded your shopping basket. You're welcome ;)

Claire x

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Bowls from House Envy // Copper frame from Cox and Cox //
Blue tit cushions from Live Like the Boy // Keyring from What I Always Wanted

Quick, it's not too late to order something lovely for Mother's Day. I've gathered together a few pieces that have the potential of bringing a smile to your Mum's face this coming Sunday.

Beautiful bowls for her to enjoy her breakfast. A super cool yet delicate landscape frame for her to display captured memories. A cute cushion for her to get comfy in her favourite chair when doing her weekly crossword. A garden shed keyring because you know that's where she'll be most of the spring and summer.

What Mother's Day gifts have you opted for?

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

Perfume Picks

How are you getting on with your Christmas shopping? i can't quite believe that there's only one week left before the big day. I think I'm almost there. I love buying presents but I'm not such a fan of the huge crowds of people. I'm definitely more of an online shopper where possible.

One popular Christmas gift which might prove difficult to buy online is perfume. How on earth do you know whether or not it's going to smell good?! It could be very awkward to pick your cool little sister a perfume that turns out to be eau-de-grandmother. For this very reason I thought I'd share my current favourites with you.

My dream team

Left - Acqua di Gioia, Centre back - Versace, Centre front - Bottega Veneta,
Right back - Dior Addict, Right front - Miss Dior

Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum:
I wore this perfume on my wedding day and practically everyday of my honeymoon, so as soon as I smell it's captivating aroma I'm whisked back to very fond memories. It's a gloriously feminine scent thanks to it's floral hints but it has a deeper layer that comes from it's woody notes. I love it.

Acqua di Gioia Eau de Toilette:
This is my most recent perfume purchase. I think that it's probably more suited to the summer months as it's subtle and fresh thanks to lemon, peony and cashmere accents.

Miss Dior Eau de Parfum:
It's impossible to go wrong with a Miss Dior perfume as I've not met one person who isn't a fan. It's young and lively bouquet makes it the perfect gift for your best friend or little sister. Plus, it's bottle is super cute!

Dior Addict Eau Fraiche:
This perfume's grapefruit base is what caught my attention. It's sweet but not sickly so. It's my go-to every day scent, especially in summer.

Versace Woman:
An evening-wear favourite for me. The scent is rich and heavy so probably not to everyone's taste. I find it to be the perfect accompaniment to a night out, whether that be dancing with my girl friends or trying a new restaurant with the husband.

I hope you find your perfect scent! Send any perfume recommendations my way, I'm always looking to find a new favourite.

Claire x

Home Is In The North - 15th November

If you're here reading my little section of the internet, then there's a good chance that you quite like interiors just like me. If that is the case and you live in or around the Manchester area, there is an event coming up which is a must-visit. Home Is In The North is a unique interiors showcase and shopping event and the brainchild of Rachael Adams from The Social Butterfly.

The first ever Home Is In The North took place earlier this year. It was the perfect mix of northern designer-makers, craft workshops and great people all wrapped up beautifully in the elegant Halle St Peter's ex-church in Ancoats.

The November edition is set to be just as full to the brim of interior updates and nifty gift ideas. I'm delighted to see that there are a number of returning exhibitors but I'm also excited to check out the new additions. You can view the full line up here.

So, what are you up to this Saturday 15th November? Doors open 11am-4pm. Tickets are £3.50 and can be bought in advance here. It really is worth the wander.

See you there!

Claire x

Pink Coat

Pink Coat Perfection - H&M

I found the perfect pink coat! Hurrah.

This little H&M beauty is exactly what I've been looking for. I love the boxy, masculine look and it's complete juxtaposition with the baby pink colour. I spotted it just before I went away to Greece but I thought it wasn't wise to drop £50 just before my holiday. Now that I am back, payday cannot come quick enough so I can finally click 'Checkout' and give this coat some much needed autumn attention.

Are you still a fan of the pink coat trend? What would you wear this pink coat with?

Claire x

Co-ords

I'm not a fashion super fan, I'm more of an admirer-from-the-sidelines kinda gal and I certainly don't put myself in the 'fashionable' bracket. I don't enjoy shopping, for starters, which means no matter what I do, I can never keep up with the latest trends.

I have, however, been admiring the fashion over the pond at New York Fashion Week and there is one look I would love to replicate and that's the 'co-ord' trend. This stands for co-ordinates and can also be known as 'twin sets' or 'matching-top-and-bottoms' for those less into the lingo (aka me).

It's such a lovely and easy look for anyone and everyone to wear, it's been going strong for a couple of seasons now and I am on the look out for the perfect set. I'm trying to create more of a 'capsule' style wardrobe (inspired by Rebecca over at Florence Finds - although I am definitely not 'post-baby') and so I'd like it if I could mix it up and wear the co-ord separately for a different look altogether.

The look can be worn for day or night, work or play. Here are a few that have caught my eye:

Have you co-ordinated already? Which look do you prefer? Plain and simple or floral and bold?

Claire x

Manchester's Roastin'

Wednesday evening found me braving the roasting-hot streets in order to wander down to the Deansgate Locks area of Manchester in search of magic beans. Feeling much like Jack and the Beanstalk, I found some in the shape of ManCoco's coffee beans.

A host of bloggers and coffee fanatics alike were invited to learn more about Manchester's very own micro coffee roaster. The friendly and coffee-passionate Stuart Bromley was already in full swing when my plus one and I stumbled into his hidden coffee oasis. (We'd got a little lost - oops.)

The little demo area was super cute and can be hired for events

ManCoco makes sure it's green beans are traceable and ethically sourced and they import from all over the world. We were lucky enough to sample a selection of beautiful beans from Ethiopia, Peru, Colombia, Rwanda, Uganda and Indonesia. We were encouraged to taste the coffee in it's optimum state and learnt a bit about the art of 'cupping'. Stuart was the perfect showman and slurped his coffee to perfection.

Getting my 'cup' on and Stuart demonstrating an expert slurp

I'm certainly not a coffee connoisseur and so some of the beans produced a flavour a little too refined for my English-tea-tastebuds but I did notice the difference in the beans and came to pick a favourite (Peruvian Chirinos Churupampa - if you're interested in the details).

ManCoco sell direct to both consumers and retail and Stuart shared some exciting details that he has in the pipeline for smaller coffee taster hampers, which sound perfect for gifts (Christmas in July anyone?) The event was pulled together by the friendly folk at MediaCom with the support of The Co-operative Electrical Shop and my plus one even won the very generous raffle in the shape of a new Delonghi Coffee Machine!

Claire x

Photo of me taken by Chloe Hesketh using my camera phone

Make Up Milestone

I wanted to share a recent milestone. This may not be a big deal to some people but it is for me.

I bought my first lipstick! Round of applause, please. Thank you.

Make up and I are not best friends. We get on alright but we've never been super tight. I guess you could say we're in the same friendship group but not bffs. As I've got older I've found myself relying on this friend a little more and I'd quite like to get to know them a little better.

The problem with my face and lipstick is that I really don't think any colour suits me. It's as though as soon as I apply it my whole face changes and I don't even recognise the person looking back at me in the mirror. When I had my make up trial for our wedding, the lovely make up artist applied a pink shade of lipstick and as soon as I saw it I almost screamed for her to take it off. In the end, I didn't wear any colour on my lips for our big day. Just a simple slick of Vaseline. It felt more me.

Cue me entering the Selfridges make up hall resembling a wide eyed bunny rabbit in headlights. Thankfully I wasn't alone and two close friends helped cajole me into trying a few shades.

My friends eventually steered me toward the Nars counter and we were greeted by a lovely lady named Jess. She immediately picked out the shade that I eventually went on to buy. A sheer, coral coloured lipstick named Barbarella. Certainly not the most adventurous of colours but I felt good wearing it.

Barbarella - my new buddy

You may be wanting to see the product on my actual face. Or you may be expecting a review of the product at this point. Firstly, I am not yet brave enough to post a close up pic of my face on these web pages and secondly, as for the review, I don't really have anything to compare it to. However, here's what I do have to say:

It doesn't feel like you're wearing lipstick when you put it on.
I don't really know about reapplication requirements because I basically forget it's on my face as soon as I'm out the door and thus never reapply.

Female fail. One step at a time, ladies!

Claire x

Want / Need 3

Want/
I love taking photos and would like to take my skills past that of uploading my camera-phone shots to my Instagram account. In an ideal world I'd own a fancy DSLR camera like this Canon EOS 100D. Sadly, it's not high on my priority list. One for the future though.

Canon camera porn

Need/
Our ancient vacuum cleaner packed in on the Saturday morning clean around. However, I am pretty sure that your average hoover isn't meant to last over 5 years! We are now in the market for a replacement and the obvious choice seems to be a Dyson. With a dog and a cat molting all over the place, a hoover specifically designed for pets is a must. This model is the DC40 Animal currently on sale at Currys. Now to convince my husband that £290 is a reasonable price...

CB x

Beauty Boost

Just over three years ago I was introduced to, what I feel, is a great skincare brand and now I want to share this with you.

I was super lucky to go on several mini spa evenings at the Malmaison Hotel in Manchester and, like a gift from above, ESPA came into my life. I've always had problem skin, suffering with acne whilst going through my teenage years (thanks hormones!) and still do every now and then (again, thanks hormones!) so I am not saying that ESPA is a miracle product. I just think it's a damn good one.

I used to use cheap products, usually selected by what was on offer or had a shiny-new advertising campaign. Plus, make up wipes were my cleansing routine. Thanks to several informative chats with the spa staff I saw the error of my ways and decided to do something about it. First course of action, out with the facewipes. FOREVER. (Ok, I keep some hidden in the depths of my bathroom cupboard but they're only for, let's say, intoxicated emergencies). Next course of action, fill up said bathroom cupboard with ESPA goodness.

I use a fair few ESPA products so I'll introduce my 'team' in several posts, so not to waffle on too much.

Photo by me

My now trusted cleanser is ESPA's Hydrating Cleansing Milk. This beautifully gentle cleanser clears all make up away and leaves your skin feeling soft and not starved. It comes highly recommended and at £13.50 it won't break the bank!

Image credit

I tend to buy ESPA from Harvey Nicholls, Manchester. They do facials (30 mins £25 and 1 hour £50) and what you pay is completely redeemable against products. Bonus! And, I must say that every time I pop in to stock up each staff member is amazingly friendly, helpful and generous. I constantly get to try out new products as the ESPA staff gift you free samples. This is also true if you buy products online as you receive two complimentary trial-size samples with every order. This company is just lovely! And it's British and close to 100% natural.

It really does sound like I'm on some sort of commission. I wish I was! I've already converted several family members, which means birthdays and Christmas gifts are always taken care of.

I hope I've not bored you too much!

CB

Sunday Sharing 3

Ok, so Christmas has only just finished - but there are still the sales! Personally, I come over all funny at the thought of hitting the actual highstreet in hopes of a bargain. I just cannot deal with all the people. However, the virtual highstreet is a much more appealing place for me. So let's take a trip...

I want to point you in the direction of some of the online retailers where I like to gain inspiration and inevitably spend some of my hard-earned cash. To begin, I recently had my clicking finger pointed in the direction of House Envy. This was another wonderful tip by the beloved Bright Bazaar blog.

The website has a wonderful selection of homewares, gifts and accessories. Everything looks so beautiful that my check out bag easily gets filled. It's the perfect place to find a gift for a friend or relative or to treat yourself ;-)

To run you through a few of my faves: