Saturday, 14 November 2009

The Saturday Salute 14.11.09

Image thanks to yasuhiro

Hello all. How was your Friday 13th? I spent it driving to my Welsh home along the dark, windy, rain swept roads of Britain. But arrived to Pizza, which made it okay. This Tuesday I am going to Las Vegas to celebrate my 21st birthday. Cue excitement: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! But that's enough about me.

Let's all be Positively Present. Inspirational stuff!

Simplify
is also a wonderful blog that I'm surprised (and disappointed) I didn't find earlier.

A pretty blog with lots of fashion talk? You know you want to... Dream Sequins.

Zen Habits has The Short but Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion. Your university years are tricky when everyone expects you to know what you want to do... This might just help.

Delve into the Wish Jar.

What's bleeping on your blog radar this week?



Thursday, 12 November 2009

Pretty Organised: Kitchen

Pretty Organised KitchenProduct information here

I realise many of you won’t have your own kitchen (I share mine with nine other people, so my own system of pretty organisation is pretty much impossible!) but, if you’re anything like me, you dream about / salivate over the idea of your own place. Many of these tips are ones you can put into action now to form good habits in prepartation for your own wonderful abode.

In Your Cupboards


♥ Tubs and jars are great for rationalizing dried goods like rice, pasta and cereals inside your cupboards. For the outside splash out on a few pretty tins like these ‘Coffee’ and ‘Cake’ ones from Garden Trading. Try hunting for vintage tins in your local thrift and charity shops too, for a cheap and eclectic storage system.

♥ For an easy way to gain extra space in your cupboards, try this Over the Cabinet Basket from Organize World. Alternatively, these tea towel bars can hang outside of your cupboards, for somewhere other than the back of a chair to hang that soggy towel.

♥ If you hoard a lot of spices, you know they can be tricky to keep tabs on. This Corner Three Tier Organizer does just the trick and frees up space for other items.

♥ One tip for keeping cupboards organised is to avoid storing too much stuff in the first place (does that one win the obvious award?) Once a month or so, I take a few days where I refuse to shop for anything but the bare essentials, meaning I have to make use of all the tins of kidney beans, tins of chopped tomatoes and brown rice I seem to accumulate in bulk.

In Your Drawers


♥ Everyone has at least one ‘junk’ drawer in their home; a tucked away space where all those little homeless knick-knacks go to die. We used to call it ‘the drawer of all drawers’ when I was still at home with my parents. But what if you’re suddenly desperate for that pencil, replacement button, or blob of blue tack? You’ll never be able to locate it beneath the fraying string, dead batteries and rolls of freezer bags! You need a junk draw organizer like this one from Lifespace.

Having drawer organizers make for far easier cleaning too, as you can simply pull them out as and when, rather than battle with your sponge to get that little collection of crumbs out of the back corners of your drawers.

Around the Edges


♥ Although we know we shouldn’t still be using plastic bags, those of us who are know we should definitely be reusing them at the very least. However, they can get a little out of hand when you amass a collection. A bag organiser like this pretty blossom one keeps them neatly managed.

♥ You’ll notice that each of my organisational post pictures have included a variation of basket. Well, that’s because baskets are beyond useful. In the kitchen use a sectioned one with a handle like this to keep cutlery and condiments organised on the table.

♥ Make your own placemats and coasters like these from M.A.D to save you’re self a wedge and, well, be really cool. Alice suggests using magazines, but newspaper articles and pages out of old books would also work, and give your dining experience a literary edge.

♥ Once you’ve organised your kitchen a treat, treat yourself to a lovely apron from Anthropologie.

What pearls of wisdom have been passed down to you when it comes to the age-old art of kitchen organisation? Have you any particularly crafty ideas to share? We want to know!



Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Featured Sponsor: Eclectic Eccentricity

(Clockwise from top left) 12 3 4

You might remember a while back on the blog I mentioned Eclectic Eccentricity in one of my Saturday Salutes. Well, I do declare – they only noticed and proposed a follow up sponsored shout-out. Being totally enamoured with them, of course I agreed!

It’s not hard to sing the praises of such a delightfully quirky emporium of trinkets. You only have to take one look at their online store to realise how truly beautiful their collection is. Word on the street? If you’re looking for a personality statement from your jewellery, you’ve come to the right place sister. Just look at this Twittering Vintage Heart Necklace.

Headed by jewellery designer Lucy Averill, the range is continually updated with pieces that are crying out to be adopted into the world of whimsy that is your life. From love notes, to globes, to roses and even robots, ‘something for everyone’ never rang so true. And with prices from as little as £6.99 for these Tweet Hair Slides, you’re sure to find a bargain icon of your individuality.

With each item professedly ‘designed to brighten your day’, and Christmas just around the corner, an order from Eclectic Eccentricity is one you’ll be kneeling at the letterbox for. Plus, they ship worldwide – bonus!

Don’t you love how they make fairytale style so utterly wearable? Like this 'A Good Apple' Vintage Necklace, and I will certainly be hoping to find the Play it Again Radio Brooch in my stocking this festive season.

What's more, until December 10th you will recieve 10% off at Eclectic Eccentricity with the coupon code CHARADE. Get something for all your friends!

Visit the shop now for a snoop, which item is your favourite?