Wednesday 29 April 2015

Little Luxuries: Time for Tea


East Asian tea ceremonies elevate tea making to a meditative art form, with the rituals aiming to highlight the special and beautiful moments in everyday life - which is exactly the premise of  my Little Luxuries series.

I think it's important to savour the little things in life - to literally stop and smell the roses. It's these little things that add up to the big picture: fresh bed sheets, a bubble bath, clean fluffy towels. These small touches add a bit of luxury to the everyday routine and provide moments of sanity in an otherwise hectic life.



Monday 27 April 2015

My Official Birthday

I've talked before about having the luxury to design one's own life, and I really am committed to making that happen.

One of the traditions that my husband and I have added to our calendar is that of the Official Birthday. Much like the Queen has two birthdays a year, so do we!

It's just really nice to have an extra reason to celebrate and make a fuss of each other. Our Official Birthdays fall exactly 6 months after our actual birthday and mine was yesterday.

You can get my Tiffany Breakfast Tray from Habitat

Sunday 26 April 2015

Introducing the Little Luxuries Series....

You may think that "luxurious living" is not synonymous with life on a reduced budget  (and please note that says reduced budget - everyone is on a budget, some are just larger than others!), or when, for what ever reason, you are trying to spend less. The Google definition of luxury is "a state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense". 

Well I agree with the first part but who says it needs to involve great expense?




Tuesday 21 April 2015

Money, money, money...

One of the things I internally struggle with the most is personal financial responsibility. On one hand I want to be frugal, pay down my mortgage and save for the future but on the other hand I want to buy all of the shiny things that catch my eye and all of the wonderful lotions and potions that are going to make me beautiful.

For one reason or another I've had a pretty tough few years and I have learnt that shopping doesn't actually solve any problems (and makes you feel even worse when you get your credit card statement) but also that squirrelling away all of your cash, whilst satisfying to see your savings increase / mortgage decrease, isn't so much fun either.

As with a lot of things in life, you need a balance. 

Sunday 19 April 2015

Brighton Rocks... In Hebden Bridge!

Much has been written about the similarities between Brighton and Hebden Bridge - tolerant attitudes, an emphasis on contemporary design & style and the natural migration between the towns.

So it's appropriate that Element are showcasing the work of Brighton duo Goodman & Morris at their shop in Hebden Bridge.



Friday 17 April 2015

The Power of Perfume

Coco Chanel allegedly once said “A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future”.

I always thought that this was a bit of an odd quote.  Is it sexist – a woman won’t find a man unless she smells good? This quote was uttered sometime in the 1920s, so that’s not an implausible assumption, however when you consider who the quote came from – an unmarried owner of a business empire that bore her name – it’s unlikely. Is it suggesting that not wearing perfume would signify social death? Possible, after all Chanel was flogging the stuff.

However when I set myself the task of writing a post on the “Power of Scent”, I accidentally stumbled across what I think is the meaning of this enigmatic quip.