Category Archives: Lifestyle

Home, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Dry Wall Art

Why the humble Tea Towel is your bargain way to add BIG impact in your interiors on a small budget…

Bella Freud Tea Towel (Older style purchased via Selfridges) My favourite Freudian slip of a thing in my Hallway as part of our ongoing Gallery Wall.

I have always loved Art in my face & on my walls. We’ve spent over a decade as a couple investing in special, personal pieces whenever possible but are equally as keen to think outside the frame when it comes to what constitutes ‘Art’. Our budget is definitely tighter right now but it’s always our favourite investment. If I/we love something therefore it has value, be it a humorous postcard or exhibition poster, gig ticket (chance would be a fine thing) or Magazine tear-sheet. I’ve got piles of things waiting to be displayed & Lockdown Pt.2 will see yet more on show in our home.

Continue reading →
Standard
Accessories, Home, Kids Fashion, Lifestyle, Review, Womenswear

Top 5 Indie Christmas Shopping in Cambridge: A.K.A Where to send your other half

Indie & Pop Christmas Shopping

Indie & Pop style shopping : Gestuz available at Boudoir Femme. You might get a drink too 😉

A gift should be for life, not just for Christmas.

In the first part of the Indie & Pop Christmas Shopping Edits I’m shining a halo over 5 of my favourite Cambridge independent boutiques; a where to shop not necessarily what to shop because each of these retailers have such an incredible curation of pieces that you simply cannot go wrong.

So much so, it’s where Mr O goes to guarantee gift joy. This post might be one to print off & stick somewhere obvious…

Continue reading →

Standard
Beauty, Lifestyle, Mind, Motherhood, Review

Indie & Pop Charts: Top 10 Beauty products to make you feel better

Cowshed Travel Beauty Indie and Pop

Feel good things in small packages

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a Hospital stay to make you appreciate the little things in life &, moreover, LIFE itself. Having spent a vast amount of time at God Bless Hotel NHS, I can speak with a fair bit of authority & experience when it comes to what to take in your Hospital Bag & what stuff to have on standby if, like me, you often end up there via ambulance unexpectedly & leave a bewildered significant other to do the packing for you.

These are things that are guaranteed to make you feel & possibly look a bit better when you’re feeling crappy full stop. They all make excellent gifts & are perfect pick-me-ups for busy Mums or Mums to be especially.

Continue reading →

Standard
Beauty, fashion, Food, Home, Lifestyle, Mind, Motherhood, Parenting, Review, Womenswear

The Indie & Pop Charts: A Top 10 of life enhancing stuff

Indie And Pop Charts 1

Making my world a brighter place: Business Cards / Business Card Holder / Cosmetics & similar MakeUp Bag / Neckaces c/o SWYC / Similar Notebook / Pom Pom Bedspread

This is your chance to tune in to the things that have rocked my world recently because they might just rock yours, too. A list of things to make you look good, feel good or that just DO good.

NB: Although it’s a Chart they’e not really in any particular order of preference. You can play D.J with the Mix.

Continue reading →

Standard
Accessories, childrenswear, fashion, Home, Kids Fashion, Kids Style, Lifestyle, Review, Womenswear

Getting my Greens at (m)ARKET: My visit to ARKET, London

Arket Store Interior London Merchandising

It’s easy being GREEN at ARKET, the latest store launch from the H&M Group. Photo by Sophie Osborne

I can’t remember the last time I felt this excited about a new chain store launch. Hailing from the stable of one my ultimate High Street heroes, H&M (I still call it Hennes), I’ve been awaiting ARKET‘s arrival to UK shores with excitement; signing up to the Mailing List as soon as I heard the first whispers of the concept online.

I made it down to the shiny new store on Regent Street, London at the first opportunity. It didn’t disappoint. I’m already planning my visit to the newest (& even bigger) Long Acre branch.

Continue reading →

Standard
fashion, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Womenswear

Inspirational Women: Mary Portas

Mary Portas Illustration

Part 2: What I’ve got in common with Mary Portas

‘Mary Portas meets Mary Poppins’ it boldly claims in my Bio. Well what have I got in common with Queen Of Shops – Mary Portas?

As foremost authority on the UK Retail landscape & hero of the High Street, I’ve not got much in common when it comes to comparing her wealth of expertise. What I have got though is the desire for change. Have you?

Continue reading →

Standard
childrenswear, Food, Kids Fashion, Kids Style, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Parenting

Flowers of Liberty First Birthday Party

rainbow-birthday-cake-with-liberty-print-meri-meri-topper

Liberty Print Cake Topper / Rainbow Cake / Vintage ‘Elysian’ Liberty Print fabric as tablecloth / DIY Floral ‘P’ Monogram made with The Trove Cambridge at #CamMama

Kids’ Parties. Love them or loathe them, if you have children you’re going to be attending them &/or hosting a lot of them for many years to come. Personally, I’m in love with the idea of & ideas for them – oh, so many themes! – even if the reality turns into a swarm of sugar-fuelled chaos.

When it came to celebrating Poppy’s First Birthday I was determined to host a get together. She’d had a rocky time throughout that year with her health & her condition so we wanted to gather all our friends & family together to mark the occasion in style. I’ll admit it was completely self-indulgent; no baby actually remembers the event itself, do they? Yet she’ll always be able to look back on the photographs & keepsakes from her very first party. Continue reading →

Standard
Beauty, Home, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Review

My Soap Box: How a bar of soap can add a bit of luxury to your life

img_6400

‘Roll up your sleeves, give your hands a wash with slippy, dippy soap…’ (Damn you CBeebies). Some of the soaps in the mix at our house. (Not Justin’s).

How many times did you wash your hands today? I was almost at half a dozen before Breakfast. I’m going to preach a bit now on prioritising satisfaction over simple sanitation. Yep, soap. Humble stuff & often overlooked. Whether liquid or solid, it’s something we all use & can just see as an essential purchase; perhaps chucked in your basket/trolley/online order without much thought or opting for whichever brand is on offer.

Continue reading →

Standard
Beauty, fashion, Lifestyle, Motherhood, Womenswear

Switched On Shopping

screen-shot-2016-11-18-at-12-13-41

Have some fun as you shop this Christmas in Cambridge (Image)

With Festive events already popping up over the City & beyond, this Weekend heralds the official start of the Christmas Shopping Season in Cambridge with The Big Switch On. With so many events on offer locally, we’re spoiled for choice but, as a busy Mum, I’ve had to prioritise a few favourites. I’ve compiled my Indie & Pop picks for you with some ideas on where to shop & key dates for your Diary. One of my friends commented that my evenings lately looked ‘glamorous’ – well, they’ve all been completely FREE to attend & there’s more to come…

Continue reading →

Standard