A MODERN WEDDING DECORATION IDEA

After a bit of radio silence on the blog, I'm excited to share this post with you! I haven't talked too much about our wedding, mostly because we haven't actually had to put too much thought into it...! The reception is in a pretty pub which doesn't need much decorating, but I always knew I wanted to find a way to show some of our favourite photos from our childhood and the 10 years we've been together. With bunting and chalkboards already on the agenda, I was a little worried about things looking too 'rustic', so when I found Lalalab online, I knew their big photo posters would be perfect for keeping things looking a little more clean and modern.

Lalalab kindly offered to gift me one of their framed posters and I'm so pleased with the result. I picked a 35-picture poster (you can also have 24 pictures, but the poster size is the same, so the photos just come out bigger) in a plain black frame. The 'glass' is actually plastic, which is better in some ways as it's super lightweight and doesn't create as much of a glare either. The process is also really easy - you can either download the app or use the desktop version to upload pictures straight from your phone/computer/social media and then reorder them to get your poster looking exactly the way you want it. I think it would look really cool to just pick pictures that are all one tone or create a graduated colour effect. We're going to display it on one of the mantlepieces in the pub; it's been so nice going through all the old photos together and getting our parents involved - I also think it's fun for family and friends who don't necessarily know both of us to get to see a bit more of us on the day!

Lalalab also offer a few other services, including Instagram prints, calendars and books; if you're interested, my referral code  - PGBSYXPG - will get you €5 off your order.

101 USES FOR TINY JARS

I am a container hoarder of epic proportions. Pickle jars, tupperware, glass bottles all get recycled in this house for all manner of things. The most perfect little vessels I've found are those that belong to the Glenilen Farm yoghurts. Apart from the fact these yoghurts are a bit dreamy, they're not any more expensive than your average individual yoghurt pot and you get the little glass jars to keep. I cleared out my desk at work and found more jars than I care to explain lurking in my drawers, so here are a few recycling ideas, should you find yourself in the same predicament.

From top to bottom: Bud jars for tiny flowers, jars for salts and spices - this is my homemade furikake - transportable chia pudding pots for breakfast at work, tea light holders, make-up holders. Not quite 101 ideas, but you get the gist. Any tricks I'm missing?

IN LOVE WITH A RUG

Our home is - and most likely always will be - a bit of a work in progress. After having to get rid of our old rug (RIP Flokati), I've been deliberating about a new living room rug for only about 3 years! After noticing our carpet was starting to get a bit tired, I knew I had to hurry up and choose something. I wanted something fairly neutral, but with a bit of texture to lift the rest of our slightly flat IKEA decor, but I also didn't want to spend too much money at this point: enter French Connection Home. 

If it's possible, I think I've fallen in love with a rug. I started looking at jute rugs as they're super inexpensive and versatile. The rugs can look a bit yellow, though, so this one (in the sale!), which is woven through with beautiful strands of soft grey leather, perfectly balances the equation. I'm thinking of getting a shaggy sheepskin rug to layer over it - I was thinking grey, but then I found this one, which is the same colour as our rabbit Scampi!

Other updates in the living room include Darren's carpentry sign - I made it for his birthday last year but he kept forgetting to take it out on jobs with him, and I sort of love how it looks here now! - and a bunch of new cushions; this Habitat one is a particular favourite.

5 IDEAS TO STEAL FROM THE SHOPKEEPER'S HOME

Caroline, the editor behind 91 Magazine - a lovely online publication I've had the pleasure of contributing to - took a break from the magazine to work on her amazing new book, The Shopkeeper's Home. The book is a beautiful ode to independent shops, and the shopkeeper's behind them, delving into both their shop interiors and the places they live to glean decorating ideas for real homes. Here are my 5 decorating ideas to steal:

1. Lift a room with a statement light. Light fixtures are sometimes seen as an afterthought, but picking something to specifically fit your home aesthetic makes a striking difference. It doesn't have to be as big as the IKEA PS MASKROS light pictured above - although I do have it in my own home and it definitely makes an impact. Think about the proportions of the room and what you want to achieve with the light; sometimes spotlights are the most practical choice, and then you can have fun with a few interesting lamps.

2. Go big with a gallery wall. I always think of gallery walls as having lots of small pieces, but I love how this example from the home of The Hambledon owner, Victoria Suffield, shows that a small collection of larger pictures can have the same effect. We have a huge chimney breast with a vintage movie poster (on loan from my Dad!) hung on it. The framed poster is huge, but it still seems to be a bit lost on the wall, so this is an idea I'm definitely stealing for myself.

3. Don't forget the bathroom! Art in the bathroom? Why not! I wouldn't have thought to hang pictures by the bath, but I love the effect they have on the plain wall above. It's a nice reminder not to be too precious with the things you own, and to put them in a place where you can enjoy them every day.

4. Charcoal + colour = best friends. I've always thought that white is the best backdrop for showing off colour, but as these charcoal painted shelves show, they're perfect for setting off both warm and cool tones. We're re-decorating our living room in January and I've left this out for Darren to see.

5. Make use of vertical space. I've always loved the look of cosy blankets hung on a vintage ladder, but I think the picture above demonstrates how important it is to remember to think about negative, vertical space. See how the ladder fills the blank between the bed and the high ceilings, while the bunting creates width to the arrangement? It's an especially good idea if you live in a rental and can't put nails in the wall. Who needs art when you have blankets?

GREEN FINGERS

I could spend every weekend in IKEA and most of my flat - beds, storage, kitchenware - has come from there, but one thing I never paid much attention to was the plants. Silly me!

I've started to notice that the pins I'm drawn to most on my Pinterest interiors board are the ones with a little flash of green in them. With that in mind, I spent a bit of time perusing the lush green aisles to find a few plants to bring a little green into our home.

My favourite purchase is the slightly mad fern in the picture above, which reminds me of Sideshow Bob. I found a sunny spot for it on a windowsill and it makes me smile every time I walk into the kitchen. And of course, how could you not smile when confronted with a row of cacti in the loo - particularly when one happens to be the perfect pair of bunny ears you've been searching everywhere for!

Indoor plants were never really my thing (or outdoor ones for that matter! Our windy balcony is proving an inhospitable garden), but now I've seen how much texture and depth they can bring to a room, I think they are the finishing touch I was looking for all along. Now I'm in the swing of it, I'm on the hunt for something easy to brighten up our dingy hallway - any suggestions?

STYLING THE SEASONS JUNE: the red shelf

May completely ran away with me so I wanted to make sure I got something up for Styling The Seasons before June disappeared too! This month started off a bit higgledy piggledy. Our kitchen is in a bit of a mess; Darren started some tiling and had to stop halfway through ...such is life when you live with a builder! With clutter on the work surfaces and everything everywhere it shouldn't be, I took a few minutes to arrange an indulgent red shelf that's the first thing I see when I walk in, which helps to avert my eyes for at least a few seconds!

The West Elm plate and Anthropologie deer vase are oldies but goodies, the Chinese tray was a souvenir from Malaysia and the tulips were a present to myself to celebrate the sunshine.

This weekend I hope the tiling will get done! We're heading to IKEA to get a few bits and bobs like a new sofa cover (essential) and a fiddle leaf fig (less so) and I think there'll be some baking on the cards too! How about you?

HAPPY HOME

I did a massive spring clean last month and, while I didn't quite hit my target of throwing away 100 things, I did make a big dent in unwanted stuff. I took these photos on a bright morning when I was feeling so happy just to be at home.

ZARA HOME KIDS

I've professed my love for Zara Kids before, but it turns out their children's home department is pretty awesome too!

It might not be to everyone's taste, but there's a nice mixture of soft grey hues and colour pop accents, without too much emphasis on the usual pink and blue. Perfect for everyone from newborns to golden oldies! I've got my eye on a couple of pieces below - I just wish the coral quilt came in king size!

{clockwise: 1, 2, 3, 4}

DUVET DAY

Let's go back to bed. Who's with me?

{1,2,3,4,5}

SHELFIE UPDATE

It's been six months since we put these shelves up in our bedroom and I didn't realise until this week how full they've gotten compared to when I first got them! I'm such a hoarder by nature, but I did a big tidy up at the weekend so I thought I'd take a few photos. I think I'm going to have top put another shelf in the to part soon.

The sweet print is from Stephanie Cole and the bunny trinket bowl is by Clay Opera. If you like teddy bears, I think you'll enjoy Much Loved as much as I did.

I'm a big fan of baskets for organisation - this one (either from H&M or Zara, I can't remember) holds my collection of cards, envelopes and whatnot. I know Christmas has passed...but I loved the card too much to throw it away! I've since used the back of it for a craft project.

And finally, this wreath light. It was taking up too much space on my desk, but I think I prefer it here now!

FINDING A PLACE FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

The Christmas decorations have come down, the chocolate has all been eaten...seems like the holidays are well and truly over! I have the biggest problem with unpacking - whether I'm away for a night or a month, my bags tend to stay at the bottom of the bed for just a little longer than they should. A whole box of presents came back with me this Christmas, so I made it my pre-New Year resolution to avoid the clutter and make space for all my new acquisitions before the year was officially over. All in all, this year's gifts were of a practical nature so it was quite easy to slot them into place.

My mum gave me two gorgeous ceramics from a designer called Felicity Jones - they are made from the most beautifully delicate clay, imprinted with real flowers. The smaller one is an egg cup, while the larger is designed to hold a tea light, and the clay is so wafer-thin you just can see the flickering glow of the flame through it. 

From Father Christmas, a healthy balance of books about dogs, booze and chocolate (not pictured because it had already found a home...in my belly). 

I left my brother a not-so-subtle hint that I wanted a set of Falconware pie dishes - there's a great catering shop in Clapham North that sells them for their proper price, not the inflated figures you find in posh kitchen shops, so I was pleasantly surprised with an extra set of plates as well! They've already made a star appearance at our New Year's Eve party, when Darren served up his famous pulled pork with all the trimmings. 

My mum did all of her Christmas shopping at Petersham Nurseries this year, where she was so taken with these glass dog ornaments that everyone in the family got one!

And last, but probably most importantly, my boyfriend gave me a brand new diary to start the year off in suitably bright style (and a hot water bottle - life will never be the same again). I've yet to dig out the post-it note I started scrawling dates on back in the middle of December so I can start pencilling in plans for 2015 - next on my to-do list!

Oh and not forgetting the new camera lens, which I used to take these photos on a day that was much darker than these pictures would suggest! What were your favourite gifts this year?