MY TWO FAVOURITE THINGS

A while ago I made my gorgeous Mum a cake for her birthday which combined my two favourite things: food and flowers. 

I made a floral wreath using oasis, foliage from the garden and some beautiful red roses. After soaking the oasis I just add the foliage piece by piece until it's covered and then add the flowers. I'm by no means a pro but there are loads of tutorials online like this and this. 

My oasis wreath was the perfect size for a standard cake so I simply popped it on top of my victoria sponge and ta daa! The effect was really dramatic and it's a great way to jazz up a cake without icing. I particularly love it because you can use it as a table decoration after you've eaten the cake so it's like two presents in one! 

This is quite a wintery design but in the summer you could add peonies, pink roses or hydrangeas to make it nice and bright.

Let me know what you think!

LEAFY

If you've read my blog before you will have seen that I am obsessed with flowers but after hundreds of pinterest searches I have been wanting to add plants to my apartment. My boyfriend made me an amazing wooden shelf which is the perfect place to grow my indoor jungle! We headed to to Columbia Road flower market to stock up on indoor plants and I am so happy with the final result. I'm hoping that I can keep them alive (so far so good) and that they will eventually trail over the side of the shelf. Take a look below and let me know what you think!

DESTINATION CHRISTMAS

Whilst the summer has barely begun, in the world of retail Christmas is about to start! In the next couple of weeks the Christmas departments across London will open and Selfridges is the first to open its doors on Monday 3rd August. I was lucky enough to be able to visit Selfridges' Press Show and see what they have in store for the coming months. 

This years theme is Constellations and in true Selfridges' style each aspect of the concept has been thought out. The styling of the press show was amazing with stars and glitter everywhere and a colour palette of midnight blue, gold, silver and some iridescent touches; I'm sure the store is going to look incredible. 

The theme also runs throughout the product. In the womenswear department there are amazing pieces such as a space age foil design dress and an exclusive Topshop mini collection with intergalactic designs. 

Personalisation is always a big part of Selfridges' ethos and this Christmas there is personalisation like never before; from Moet champagne to tweezers to dog biscuits. Two of my favourite Christmas personalisations are the baubles from Twenty Seven and amazing personalised wrapping paper that is exclusive to Selfridges. Other personalisation options around the store include gifts such as monogrammed Alexander McQueen Scarves which are beyond beautiful!

In true luxury style Selfridges are releasing their traditional beauty advent calendar which will be sold  alongside other advent offerings from the likes of Charlotte Tilbury and Diptyque. So... if chocolate isn't quite your thing there is definitely a chance to upgrade your advent countdown this year!

Whilst I probably won't be buying my Christmas presents just yet, the event made me extremely excited for the season. I can't wait to buy all of the amazing products on offer at Selfridges and probably won't be able to wait til Christmas to get my hands on some of them!

BLOOMING LOVELY

Last weekend, on a rare free Sunday, I went to Columbia Road Flower Market for the first time. I've been dying to go for ages but haven't found the time so I was really excited to see what it's all about. The market is on a small shop lined street and was rightfully packed with visitors. I loved seeing the array of market stalls and couldn't resist a bit of a haul! Here are some photos of the flowers I bought...

DIY: CRATE TABLE

I needed a bedside table for my new flat and really wanted something unique for my room. My Grandparents kindly let me have one of their old crates and that is what I used to make my new piece of furniture. It was a really simple DIY and so I'm going to show you how you can do the same.

YOU WILL NEED:

A Crate (you can find lots of options on Ebay)

Paint (in the colour of your choice)

4 Castors and the necessary screws

Glass Top (optional)

METHOD:

I started by cleaning the crate up and wiping it with a damp cloth so I was painting on a clean surface. Personally, I wouldn't sand the crate as I think you lose its texture. 

After letting it dry briefly, I began to paint the crate. I chose a really light grey as we had the paint left over and it goes with the colour scheme I am going for. However, I think that a darker colour would work just as well. I also chose to give my crate a wash of colour rather than completely covering it but this is also your choice. 

After painting the visible sides of the crate I turned it upside down to reach the unpainted sides more easily.

I let the paint dry completely and then chose which side I wanted to be at the top. After deciding, I turned the crate bottom side up and I placed one castor in each corner. I screwed them in gently being careful not to push through the wood (I would recommend a short screw as the wood in your crate may not be very thick). 

Here is the basic crate table!

At this stage I decided to add a glass top so my things don't slip through the slats and to give the table a more finished look (it is still great without doing this). I got the glass cut for the size of the table and held it in place by affixing a plastic glass dot on each corner. 

Im really pleased with the finished result and if you want a unique piece of furniture without spending lots of money this is the perfect DIY for you!

DIY Decor: Tissue Paper Flowers

I have used these tissue paper flowers for several events such as hen parties and summer balls and have found they are perfect every time. They are simple and cheap to make and have a cute almost retro finish. You can make them in several colours and even spray with glitter to make them evening appropriate! By attaching them to string or twine you can also make flower bunting. I think that they are a great alternative to fresh flowers especially if on a budget for decorations! These flowers are great for the home and special occasions.

Step by Step Guide

Tools:

Tissue paper (at least six sheets) in colour of choice

Scissors

Stapler

Masking tape

(Glitter hairspray if wanted)

Method:

Layer 6 sheets of tracing paper approx 10x10cm and fold in half

Cut a semi circle from the folded edge and open to create a circle

Fold the circle in to quarters and create a scalloped edge with scissors on the curved edge

Staple the folded corner and open out

Now begin to gather the layers one by one scrunching the base of the layer towards the centre (be careful not to squash the fluffy petals

Repeat for all layers

Finally gather the bottom of the flower and secure with masking tape

(If you want you can spray the flowers with glitter hairspray for a shimmer effect)

You now have a beautiful tissue paper flower!

Enjoy.