Current loves

Hello lovelies!

I hope you're all having wonderful weekends! 

Today, I thought I'd share a few of my current loves; because nothing beats the Sunday blues like a list of beautiful things :)

1. Illustrated dinner plates

Beautiful, witty, tableware involving sharks - what's not to love?! The only problem with these plates is I'd have constant indigestion due to eating my dinner as quickly as possible to look at the pretty pictures!

2. Pinterest

Since installing the "Pin It" button on my bookmarks bar, I've been pinning craft tutorials and pictures of kitchens like there's no tomorrow. 

3. Double Caramel Magnums

Until today, I didn't know these existed. I can understand why no-one wanted to tell me before- as I have now made it my life's mission to eat them all. Hardly my fault- they are so damn delicious!

4. Car Boot Bargains

Today, Fran and I spent three very enjoyable hours hunting down bargains and eating Mr Whippy ice-creams at our local car boot sale. I was very successful at haggling and picked up a dress, three tops, two books, two metal aeroplanes (part of a current craft project) and a light-up globe for £4.75! Score!

5. Solving our record storage problem

Tom and I eventually settled on the storage solution for our (very much individual) record collections; vintage-style fruit crates. The globe in the photo is my £1 car boot bargain from this morning :)

6. Being an Independant Woman aka building flatpack furniture

I spent yesterday morning putting together a flat-packed vanity unit for our bathroom. I was tempted to ring Beyonce (or 'Bey' as I call her cos we're, like, totes besties) and tell her how much of a Strong, Independant Woman I was being; then realised I was putting the furniture together using tools I had stolen from Tom's toolbox, because I don't have any tools.... Oh well, one step at a time. 

7. Photographing pretty things

Butterflies, buildings and boyfriends :)

Titchfield Abbey

"Look! A thing!"

8. Lusting after circus-themed goodies

9. Big, fancy glass jars

I have a romantic idea of my kitchen counter being covered with huge jars filled with homemade cookies. In reality, the jars would be full of cookie crumbs, and my belly would be full of cookies...

10. Devouring free e-zines
If you haven't discovered these two yet, I can't recommend them enough. They contain links to beautiful, well chosen pieces from the U.K and the U.S respectively, photographs of stunning interiors and gorgeous fashion shoots. 

An example of the beautiful layouts of Number 91 magazine

What are you really into at the moment? Have you got any favourite e-zines you would recommend? Or do you know of any ice-creams EVEN BETTER than double caramel magnums?!

Snoop inside my satchel (ooh-er!)

Hello lovelies! 

I'm about to share something more intimate than I ever have before... I'm going to let you have a good old (cyber) rummage through my handbag! 

I've seen posts like this before, but felt particularly inspired by this lovely lady's post earlier today- showing off her pretty things in style! And, as I just treated myself to a new bag on Sunday, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity- as it's all still nice and organised (does anyone else think the best thing about getting a new bag is spending ages putting all their things in it oh-so-neatly? No? Just me?)

So, this is my lovely new bag, that I spotted (ha!) whilst snooping around the Laines in lovely sea-sidey Brighton. 

And this is what's in it:

So, what is all this crap, I hear you cry? 

1. Tweezers
These had to be number one. I honestly don't know what I'd do without tweezers (well, apart from looking like this). This is my emergency pair for those "oh my god, where did that come from?!" moments (come on ladies, we all have them, right? RIGHT?!) when I'm out of the house. 

2. Sunglasses case
To keep my sunglasses scratch- and crumb-free

3. Purse
My lovely MIL bought me this for Christmas two years ago. She certainly knows the way to my heart is via the Cath Kidston website. 

4. Tissues
My nose is the bane of my life (as anyone who knows me will attest). It is set off by heat, cold, food, drink, breathing, moving, EVERYTHING... making me look like a snotty toddler, only without the adorable toddlerness. Although, that said, thanks to making sure I always have a pack of these in my bag I don't wipe my nose on people's shoulders- so perhaps I'm one up on snotty toddlers after all. 

5. (Skeleton) Keys
There seems to be a very skully theme going on with these. I bought the key covers when my boyfriend and I got our very own place, as they were deemed "manly" enough to share the set between us. 
The keyring was a present from my bestie, and I count it as a key-ring and rape alarm- as it makes a horrible noise and flashes red lights when you press the little button on the top. To be honest, it would probably only be effective if the rapist had severe epilepsy; but fingers crossed I'll never have to find that one out!

6. Hand Cream
In addition to the hairy/snotty thing (what a delight I am!) I suffer from a medical condition known as "Old Lady Hands", where I need to moisturise them a lot or they'll crack. I picked up loads of these lovely Crabtree & Evelyn hand-creams when they were on sale at Achica; they smell lovely and a little goes a long way. 

7. Umbrella
I'm weirdly fussy when it comes to umbrellas- they have to fold up super-small or I know I won't bother taking them with me unless it's actually raining when I leave the house, but they also have to be super-strong because the flimsy ones flip inside-out instantly and then break, and what's the point in that?!

8. Concealer
Weirdly (to some), I don't normally wear any make-up at all- I'm a very low maintenance shower-and-go kinda gal. Which is why I am cheap and bought an Aldi budget version of the famous YSL Touche Eclat concealer most girls seem to swear by. I use concealer so infrequently, spending twenty-odd squids on it doesn't appeal to me at all. However, I keep it in my bag for emergency spot situations- those times when you get a spot SO BIG you know everyone will end up talking to the spot, instead of you. 

9. Sunny-Gs
Since my granddad regaled me with horror stories of his cataract operation (you can SEE THE NEEDLE COMING TOWARDS YOUR EYE!!!) I wear the biggest sunglasses I can find. These were an emergency buy a few months ago, when I was nowhere near home and summer suddenly arrived. They were a TK Maxx bargain (£17 from an RRP of £99!) and I think they're ruddy hilarious. 

10. My phone
It's not the best in the world, because I signed up on a whim and thought it was pretty. My technologically-minded boyfriend gave me a Disappointed Head Shake when I came home with this. "What does it do?" "I don't know - but look how shiny and white it is!"

11. Kindle
A present from my lovely other half, and I love it A LOT. I was originally really sceptical of Kindles and thought they were demon spawn trying to replace lovely books. But, thankfully, I've made room for both in my life- and I walk with less of a hunchback now my handbag isn't crammed with huge trashy novels. 

12. Headphones
These are good for hearing things. Obviously, I had to get white ones to go with my mp3 player. 

13. Nivea moisturiser
This is hands-down the best facial moisturiser I've found for my skin- and it's cheap as chips; hurrah! I tend to buy the biggest bargain bucket-load of it that I can find, then decant a bit into this tiny travel tub to carry round with me during the day. 

14. Hairbands
Now my hair is long again, I need to carry round the paraphernalia to keep it under control. Having my only hair-band snap on a hot day is my idea of a grouch-inducing nightmare, so I always make sure my bag is well stocked. It's also nice to be able to offer them to other girls if they're in need- bonds us like sisters, innit. 

15. Hair clips
My hair is too heavy for regular hair grips to ever have a chance, so I've got to use these industrial strength crocodile-clip ones instead. 

16. A pen
Whilst I don't usually carry anything to write on, you never know when you might need an Emergency Pen. Spontaneous pub quiz? You're sorted. Want to give someone your number and they don't have a phone? You can scrawl it on their arm/hand/face. Thanks to all of the events I organise for work, I get my pens free from. This one has a handy twist-top. Well done, Sofitel. 

17. MP3 player
I'm beginning to think I may be a technology racist... everything I own is white. I love this little thing- it's teeny tiny but stores loads of songs, and the simplicity pleases me- the buttons are hidden under the frame around the edge of the screen.

18. Vaseline
Not something I use a lot, but when my lips are dry nothing else will do. I'm just not a colourful-lip-gloss/strawberry-lip-balm kind of girl. 

19. Mirror
This was originally the top of a powder compact from the Body Shop; I think it's probably time I invested in a new one that hasn't got broken bits of plastic on it. Very handy to have though, and a quick-and-easy way to reassure myself my teeth are spinach-free. Also good for sending signals from lighthouses whenever I'm following a band of Smugglers in an Enid Blyton story...

20. Suncream
If I haven't mentioned before how pasty I am, I will do so now. I am pasty. My skin goes from milky-white to strawberry-red in a matter of nanoseconds, so I try to slap on the Factor 50 pretty much any time I leave the house. 

So, there you have it, a good old snoop at my stuff. Have you done a post like this? Please do send me a link if you have! What essentials do you keep in your handbag?

P.s. I had far too much fun laying everything out like this; thankfully managed to not get too OCD about it and bring out a ruler or anything. But if you love neatly organised things too, I cannot recommend this blog enough

Hampshire mini-break - Day 2 - Mottisfont, Winchester and the Wind in the Willows

After spending most of the first day of our mini-break at Petworth House, we decided to spend the second one pottering around Mottisfont, Ramsey, and Winchester - including a visit to Winchester City Mill. 

Mottisfont is currently playing host to an exhibition of original illustrations from the well-loved children's book The Wind in the Willows. Looking round the exhibition was a real blast from the past; I think several of the stories have been lurking somewhere in my subconscious for the last two decades- and seeing the beautifully detailed drawings brought back a lot of nice memories. 

The house itself was beautiful too- and we found out some very interesting things from chatting to the volunteers stationed in each room. Such as; the artist who painted the main drawing room used to paint for theatre productions - something that was rather obvious from all the fake curtain pelmets and pillars circling the walls. The room was unfinished when he was called up to serve in the war (WWII, I think)- so he painted a tiny paint pot and brush at the top of one of the pillars, as his promise that he would come back and finish his work. Sadly, he was killed in the war and therefore never came back to finish painting the room. 

We also spotted some suspiciously even cracks and tiny half-hidden keyholes in the floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the study. I went rushing off to find a guide and find out what was behind the bookcases- hoping for a secret room or a passageway down to some hidden dungeons. Turns out that the family who owned the house had a huge art collection that they rotated between being on display, and being stored in special units behind the bookcases. Curiouser and curiouser :)

I've picked a few of my favourite shots from Mottisfont below; 

"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats"

We spent the afternoon in Winchester. I've never been there before, but ended up falling a little in love with it. Huge fancy cathedral, whimsical metalwork, and a working water mill? What's not to love? :)

The mill has a viewing platform right over the water wheel, so the water rushes underneath your feet at what seems like a billion miles an hour. Tom was trying to teach me how to take longer exposure photos to track the movement of the water; not very successfully- but that was definitely due to my impatience as a student, not his teaching skills. 

We were lucky enough to stumble across a brilliant (free!) photography exhibition in the local library; which certainly inspired us both to keep on taking photos of our adventures. 

Have you ever been to Winchester? Are there any places we might've missed that you'd recommend we visit next time?

Hampshire mini-break - Day 1 - Petworth House and Gardens

Last week, Tom and I went on a mini-break to Hampshire. Although Hampshire isn't particularly far from our house in East Sussex, we wanted to fill our days with as many adventures as we possibly could, and therefore decided to stay in a local B&B. 

We recently became members of the National Trust, and decided to stop off at a few NT places on our way to Hampshire (members of the National Trust apparently refer to it as "NT" - makes me feel like part of an exclusive club, where everyone is wearing matching cagoules...). We ended up spending most of the day at Petworth House and Gardens because it turned out to be ruddy brilliant, and Petworth town is absolutely beautiful too. 

We had lunch in one of the nicest cafes I've been to in my entire life- it's called Tiffins Tearoom, and I honestly can't recommend it enough. If you're ever near Petworth (or don't mind driving a long way for a lovely lunch!) please go and check this place out. The owners were absolutely brilliant; unbelievably friendly and welcoming, and said "Well done, team" when we managed to eat all of our cake! :) 

Tiffins Tearoom. I was tempted to hide under the table and stay forever

We had this. It was EPIC. 

It's days out like this that make me so glad someone came up with digital photography- as developing the 150-odd photographs I took throughout the day would cost an absolute fortune if they'd been on film! The kitchens in particular were stunning; I just couldn't stop taking pictures of all the shiny copper jelly moulds and wacky antique packaging. 

I've uploaded a few of my favourite photos from Petworth below, and might pop an extra one or two up on my flickr account soon too. My favourite fact of the day is that I've been unknowingly eating Royally Appointed mustard.

After spending so much time eating scones walking round Petworth gardens photographing huge dragonflies, we only managed a quick stroll round the grounds of Hinton Ampner on the way to our B&B - but saw lots of nice plants (including their "Plant of the Week"- brilliant!) and some sheep. Always a winner. 

Our room at the B&B was absolutely beautiful- I never got round to taking a photograph, but I've pinched the one below off of their website. Beam-tastic, eh? 

I'm planning to put up a post on the rest of our holiday later in the week- so keep your peepers peeled :)

Katie xx

P.S. A big smiley "welcome" to my new followers- thank you all very much for reading my blog, and please do let me know what you think :)