Shabby Chic Bedroom Inspiration ♥

I've made no secret of my love for all things shabby chic, if you've followed my blog for quite a while now you'll know that it's been a constant theme in my posts and pictures. Honestly, the shabby chic look is the one home decor style which I am absolutely in love with and if I could decorate every room in my house in this style I would. 

One room which I have already decorated somewhat in this style, is my bedroom. However, I would love to build on it and make the 'perfect' shabby chic space. A gorgeous girly space, ideal for relaxing in and drawing inspiration from too.

For me, the most important element in any bedroom is the bed. Metal bed frames are perfect for the shabby chic style, I had one all through my childhood and teenage years with a canopy overhanging the headboard and it was just perfect. They're also perfect for stringing fairy lights around.

Floral bedding such as the gorgeous prints available from Cath Kidston and lots of mis-matched scatter cushions and throws, are ideal for creating a shabby chic inspired look in the bedroom. I have lots of floral and Parisian themed cushions and a beautiful big floral and patchwork throw which I use to dress my bed.

Windows can be a great feature in a shabby chic inspired bedroom, with curtains, tulle, lace nettings, etc. all being perfect for framing windows and tying them into the shabby chic feel of the bedroom. However, if you don't have a traditional window in your bedroom and instead have ones such a Solstro Roofwindows, you can still find the perfect blinds to match your shabby chic decor.

Perfect colour palettes for shabby chic inspired bedrooms are soft pastels and fresh clean whites and ivories. Duck egg blues, pale mints and pastel pinks are my favourite colours for decorating bedrooms in a shabby chic style.

For decoration, lots of sweet weathered pictures and plaques, white photo frames and shelves with little trinkets on display, make for great pieces in a shabby chic bedroom. Anything floral is also perfect, whether it be real or fake flowers themselves or anything adorned with floral print. I buy fresh flowers every second week and love having them in my home, especially in my bedroom.

Distressed or upcycled furniture is another great element to have in a shabby chic inspired bedroom. You can pick up some great furniture pieces quite cheaply from charity shops and car boot sales, which can be transformed and made into something beautiful by just giving them a lick of paint. I've done this before with some old chairs that I upcycled in a shabby chic style.

I really do love this style of decor in the bedroom and it's my mission to create a pretty, calming shabby chic space for me to relax and sleep in. I love the florals, vintage and romantic style of it all.

Are you a fan of the shabby chic style?

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How To Choose Flattering Plus-Sized Swimwear To Suit Your Shape ♥

Dressing for your shape takes some patience but when most people say they are limited when it comes to dressing for their specific body type, that’s simply just not true. Identifying and understanding your body’s specific shape is about knowing what works for the largest and smallest parts of your body — accentuating your strengths, and minimizing attention drawn to problem areas. Think of shape identification as the single best guideline.

Swimsuit shopping can be a particular challenge, but you might be surprised to learn that thanks to new trends in the fashion world, previously avoided styles are now available to women of all sizes, especially when you buy your swimwear online.

High-Waisted Bikinis
When you want plenty of coverage but still want to show off a bit of skin while lounging poolside, high-waisted bikinis are the perfect option that will make it easy to avoid wearing a one-piece. The style is retro and have been seen on body positive models like Ashley Graham.

Tankinis
Tankinis are the perfect option for plus-size women who want to hide part of their tummy and cover up while still wearing a feminine frock, according to the fashion experts at realsimple. Tankinis are flirty and fun with a relaxed fit that doesn't contour to the body.

Skirtinis
When you want to draw more attention to your bust without showing off your thighs, skirtinis are perfect for those who want a stylish look that mimics a mini skirt. You'll wear a trendy swimsuit that will stay in place while swimming at the beach and can enjoy having plenty of coverage that allows you to feel confident while wearing the garments. It even includes a built-in brief, which will allow you to avoid showing off more than you feel comfortable with.

Faux-Wrapped One-Suits
One-suits have officially made a comeback and have been seen on body positive models like Ashley Graham and Tess Holliday. One-suits offer the most amount of coverage and are easy to wear for those who don't want to worry about their suit falling off while in the water. Even Oprah Winfrey is singing their praises, and she insists that you can choose a playful pattern or print with the suit, which will camouflage any trouble spots and will allow you to feel slimmer with your figure. Visit an online retailer like swimsuitsforall to find the latest fashions, and cash in on some major winter sales.

Side-Tie Briefs
Sie-tie briefs can dress up your thighs when you want a cute detail. You can pair the briefs with a halter top to enjoy plenty of coverage while still looking appropriate while on a tropical vacation during the winter season.

With the recent trends and styles that have emerged in the fashion industry for plus-size women, it's easy to have more options and look fashionable. There are now thousands of different options that are available online for those who want to have more of a selection. When you're looking to rock a flattering look that is popular in the fashion industry, there are a few swimsuit styles to consider.

*This is a guest post.

What To Pack For A Mini-Break in Amsterdam ♥

Amsterdam is one of my favourite places and I'm happy to say, it's a destination that I've visited quite a few times now (six in total I think). I'm also super happy to say that I'll be celebrating my 27th  birthday in Amsterdam next month and I honestly can't wait to go back.

It's a city that offers so much and is brimming with interesting and beautiful places to visit and explore.

Jacek and I last visited back in 2015 when we had a brilliant two days exploring Amsterdam and I had my first visit to the stunning Royal Palace and I'd love to go back as it truly was stunning in there. We also visited Madam Tussauds for the first time on that visit, but we won't be returning there because it was awful... honestly, don't waste your money.

I'm in the midst of planning what we'll do on this visit to Amsterdam and also what to pack for a 72 hours trip, so I thought I'd share what I think are the essentials to pack for a mini-break in Amsterdam.

Comfy shoes
Amsterdam is a walkable city, in fact, I've never used an public transport in the city, apart from a taxi one time to get to a Deftones concert in the Melkweg - and that was simply because we couldn't find the place! We always walk from Centraal Station to our hotel and from then all around the city. It's the perfect city to discover on foot as you can stumble across lots of cool shops, coffee shops and graffiti art in the backstreets.

Also, comfy shoes are an essential if you plan on hiring a bike and cycling around the city. There are bikes everywhere in Amsterdam.

Camera
I bring my camera everywhere with me, but Amsterdam is an especially lovely place to capture on camera with it's unique architecture, canals, tulips and graffiti art. The city makes for lots of great photo opportunities, so a camera - whether it be a DSLR or on your phone, is an essential.

Backpack
When packing for a mini-break I never want to bring too much luggage - especially when I'm going to a city like Amsterdam, where most of the hotels don't allow check-in until two o' clock and my flight arrives in at eight in the morning... This means that I have to carry my luggage around with me all day and a backpack is a great solution for being able to carry everything with me easily.

Portable power bank and European plug adaptor
My phone battery is always dying - probably because I'm always using it! So a portable power bank is an essential for me for charging my phone whilst on the go. Amsterdam is on the continent so the plugs are different from here at home, meaning a European plug adaptor is an essential for using an electricals in your hotel room, such as your phone charger, hair straightener, etc.

Cash
These days, most people prefer using cards (I'm not one of them by the way, I never use cards) but having cash and loose change really is an essential when you're in Amsterdam.

The easiest way to get from the airport to Amsterdam city centre is via train and loose change is needed for purchasing tickets from the machines at the airport. There's also lots of great outdoor markets in Amsterdam which sell a whole host of things from vintage clothing to flowers, so having some cash for paying the vendors for something you fall in love with and want to take home with you is an essential.

I can't wait to be back in Amsterdam in just weeks time and no doubt I'll have a post all about mine and Jacek's adventures there, this time round, in the coming weeks.

Have you ever been to Amsterdam or is it a place you'd love to visit?

Ideas For Creating A Relaxing & Pretty Bedroom ♥

A lot of people see their bedroom as being the most important room in their home. After all, it's a place of sanctuary, a relaxing space and a private one too, as it's not a room that many visitors get to see.

With the bedroom being such a private space, it's the perfect room for giving a personal touch to and decorating however you may wish. I have to say, my bedroom is probably the one room in my home which is most definitely 'me'. It's my happy place, my place to just sit back and relax in and escape from the chaos of the rest of the house that has been overtaken by my children and their plethora of toys!

My bed is my sanctuary and honestly, I wish I could spend a lot more time in it as it's the most comfiest place I could possibly be, and for me, it's the most perfect place to retreat to after a long, hard day of parenting the kids and snuggling up under the covers and reading a book or blogs and having a pre-sleep scroll through my social media, is one of my ultimate favourite things to do. I also love to sit on my bed and listen to my beautiful VQ Retro MK II radio - I absolutely love the Emma Bridgewater floral print on it.

My bedroom is a place I'm constantly looking to improve and searching for beautiful bedding sets online and other little pretty touches is another thing I love to do - and to think, I used to think my mother was crazy for constantly redecorating her room and buying new bedding, I've morphed into her!

Create a calming atmosphere
I've created a calming atmosphere in my bedroom by using fairy lights and candles to give a warm glow to the room after it gets dark. Fairy lights are super cheap these days and most are LED meaning you can leave them on and not worry about wasting electricity. I love my rose style fairy lights and I always have a lavender Yankee Candle burning before bedtime to give the room a calming scent.

Pay attention to the soft furnishings
I have a plethora of cushions on my bed, as, not only are they pretty to have displayed on the bed and handing for sitting up with when I'm having a few minutes to myself during the day, but they're also a real style statement too. All of my cushions are miss-matched but each as pretty as the other and I love seeing them on the bed.

Having a nice duvet cover is always a must for me too and I like to switch it up between plain white with lace trimmings and floral print for a change of look and mood in the room from time to time. Having decorative lampshades and canopies are other great things to add to a room. My room back in my parents house had a tulle canopy over the bedhead and it was the most beautiful touch to the room, I loved sleeping under it. A chunky knitted throw or patchwork quilt are other great soft furnishing for displaying on your bed and using for those cold, wintry nights to keep warm too.

Have personal effects on display
Your bedroom is your personal space, so having things that mean a lot to you on display is just perfect for creating an inviting atmosphere. I have pictures of my family on display in white frames on my windowsills, dresses I love hanging on the back of my door and my favourite jewellery pieces displayed on trinkets on my dresser.

Invite nature into your room
One of my favourite things to have on display in my home is fresh flowers and I especially love to have them sitting on my dresser. They just really help to brighten up the place and the prettier the flower, the better - peonies and roses with gypsophila are my personal favourites for the bedroom. If flowers aren't your thing, then succulents, cacti and other potted plants are a great thing to have displayed on windowsills or bedside tables. You could also add nature to your bedroom by displaying some outdoor prints or pictures on your walls.

As you can see, my bedroom is very floral and shabby chic inspired, but it suits my taste and personality and ultimately, that's what you want in a bedroom. It's my perfect space to relax in and I love all the pretty pieces I have in there.

I'd love to know how you've decorated your own bedroom?

*This is a collaborative post.

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Decorating With Flowers ♥

If you're anything like me, then you'll love having fresh flowers in your home. Not only are they such a pretty focal point, but they really help to brighten the place up too - especially on dull January days like today, where there's not a bit of natural light or colour to be seen.

I try to have fresh flowers in as many of the rooms of my home as I possibly can and honestly, decorating with flowers doesn't have to be a luxurious thing, there are plenty of lovely DIY projects you can do to display flowers creatively in your home and nowadays, even the most beautiful of flowers are now accessible to everyone - you can even get flowers delivered in Australia and they include rainbow roses, so magical for brightening up your home!

Flowers in glass bottles
This is such a simple idea but one I really love. Glass milk bottles are available from a whole host of places these days and they're perfect for popping some little flowers in to.

Flowers in painted jars
A cost effective little DIY and a great way of displaying flowers around your home. Simply paint some old jars (clean jam jars are perfect for this) in your favourite colours - pastel being my favourite for flower displays, and you have a lovely little colourful display for your petals.

Watering cans, wellies, wreaths...
Honestly, anything can be used to display flowers, so long as it has a hollow inside to hold the stems. I love the idea of displaying fresh, seasonal flowers in wellies outside the front door, popping plants and flowers in old watering cans to decorate the garden on a budget and making wreaths for the door to reflect the season - wreaths aren't just for Christmas and I already have some lovely spring wreath ideas in mind.

Fairy perfume
When I was a little girl I used to get a bowl of water and fill it up with flowers and petals in the hopes of making fairy perfume. I'm not quite sure I ever did get that beautifully scented perfume I was hoping for, but my efforts did result in quite a stunning little display of flowers and petals floating on water. This is a lovely display to have as a centerpiece or on tables around your home.

A 'washing line' of flowers
This is something I see a lot on Instagram and something which is so simple yet so pretty too. You simply need to put a piece of string across a wall in your house and hang fresh or dried flowers on it with little pegs. Extra points if you display some botanical postcards or floral pages from old books behind or beside it.

A floral chandelier
This is such a gorgeous idea and one that I think may be quite easy to make (or so I hope as I really want to try it!). Simply tie strings with flowers attached onto your light fitting and you have a pretty floral feature to adorn your ceiling. I absolutely love this DIY flower chandelier. Stunning!

Use vintage/old china teacups to display flowers
I'm a lover of shabby chic and have spoken about my love for it on the blog before and one of most beautiful, shabby chic-y things I can think of, is displaying flowers in vintage/old china teacups. If you have none to hand, your local charity shop or vintage shop will be sure to have some for very little money.

Two Million ♥

Yesterday, this little blog of mine reached a milestone that I've been waiting for for quite some time now - it reached two million page views.

I honestly have no idea how I've amassed this many clicks on to this little space of mine on the big wide web, but here we are and I'd be lying if I said I was anything but delighted. Jacek even bought me a cake to mark the occasion, bless him. He also bought me a cake when I reached one million page views, so I think he's beginning a little tradition for me, it's very sweet.

This blog is much more to me than just a hobby. It's given me a sense of purpose in life, allowed me to stay at home with my babies and still feel as if I'm doing something worthwhile, it's brought me some amazing opportunities, allowed me to meet and speak to some of the loveliest people on Earth and it's a documentation of all of mine and my family's memories and adventures together.

I always wanted to be a writer, but I think that blogging has made me realise my true passion in life - photography, and one day, I hope that I'll be able to call myself a photographer and be happy to wake up every morning and know that my job is capturing other people's memories for a lifetime too and the beauty of the world around me.

Some days I feel stuck with this blog, never knowing what to write and becoming so defeated, but for now I'm not giving up. I have so many more thoughts, memories and adventures to share and I will continue to embrace this space that is all mine.

Thank you so much for reading and supporting my little blog, it really does mean the world to me.

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Valentine's Day Gift & Treat Inspiration ♥

Valentine's Day is just two weeks away now (seriously, how quickly has that already crept up on us?!) and I have to admit, it's a day which always leaves me puzzled as to what to get Jacek. He literally is 'the man who has everything' and I always struggle to find the perfect Valentine's Day gifts for him - seriously, why is it so hard to find great gifts for men?

We always seem to end up just getting a takeaway or trying to fit in a child-free day to go for dinner or afternoon tea, but these are rare and far between, so I'm always keen to get him a physical gift for the day that's in it, just so he knows he's appreciated.

Whether you're searching for unique gifts for your husband or gifts ideas for wives, online gift stores such as Uncommon Goods offer unique, creative and ethical gifts that are sure to bring a smile to your loved ones face. My whimsical, dreamy self is loving these beautiful birthstone wishing balls and I think Jacek would love something quite kitch like these personalised whiskey barrels.

As well as the gift giving, I think I may end up baking some Valentine's Day treats such as my white chocolate popcorn again and putting up or Valentine's decor on the mantle as I like the house to be seasonal.

Hopefully Jacek and I do get some child-free time on or around Valentine's Day, but even if we don't, as least we'll still have a treat or two to look forward to on the day.

*This is a collaborative post.

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