W e e k e n d a w a y ...

Happy belated new year to you all I hope 2014 is a wonderful and exciting one for all!

I must admit I've been having a bit of a breather since Christmas and really enjoying some serious down time. Catching up with my mum, sisters, nephews and niece over the holiday period was a joy. I must admit I was a little anxious to begin with as it was hard not thinking about work, making and orders, but I soon got into the swing of it!

This year I wanted to be more conscientious about my gifts to my nephews & nieces as children always get a ridiculous amount of presents at Christmas time and they usually get bored with them after 5 minutes!

I wanted them to be creative, and I wanted their gifts to be recyclable (being made from paper or wood) or handmade. I got them these marvellous 3-D self construct things (which were a little more than difficult even for me, but fun non-the-less) and these wooden Sumo Skittles both from Muji. The paper animals above were from a seller at the Bath Artisan Market where I regularly hold a stall. You choose an animal and a pack of coloured tissue paper and you get a bag with PVA glue & a brush. I was delighted when on opening these the kids decided to get stuck into creating straight away. A messy, but fun time for all I think.

So January in the UK has been very wet and pretty cold, but when the sun comes out it is most definitely glorious. I'm making the most of not having booked myself in for any market stalls this month and have been visiting local towns and cities every weekend.

This weekend Mr Red Bird took us away to a lovely b&b called The Swan in Wedmore. It's set in the little charming village of Wedmore in Somerset, only 40 minutes drive from Bristol. On our way we took a slight detour and paid a visit to the lovely market town of Wells. It has a magnificant Catherdral and I love walking about the moated Bishops Palace with the ducks and swans about the place. There's a farmers market in the square and this time around a book fayre. There are also many many charity shops along the main high street, so if that's your kind of thing you will be spoilt for choice (although it's not that cheap). Of course we picked up a few little bits along our way.

Bishops Palace
I am wearing Sparkle & Fade coat, black high tops, vintage
handbag (all Urban Outfitters), old scarf 
(French Connection), umbrella (vintage).

Lovely book fayre finds
I am wearing suede blue flats and skinny jeans (Zara).

Our room at The Swan

Gorgeous details in our room at The Swan

A nice brew...!

Out and about in Wedmore
I am wearing black high tops, coat & scarf (as before), leopard print cotton dress (Topshop) and tights (Primark)

So many cute cottages in Wedmore

Church of St. Mary, Wedmore

Taxidermy in the back of someones car!

d e c l u t t e r ...

For those of you who know me, you will know the the word declutter isn't one that belongs in my vocabulary! However, after a recent trip to Berlin (my 3rd time) for work, rest & play, spending 2 days doing hotel reviews and 3 in our own rented 3rd floor apartment, which Mr Red Bird and I immediately fell in love with, I come home with a certain pang of need to declutter my home!

Now I am a certified hoarder and have been since birth pretty much. I think my mother has a lot to answer for when I talk about hoarding (she has an entire garage which has no room to house a car because it is floor to ceiling full of crap memories. Okay, a lot of this is 'said' crap belonging to me and my siblings that we all guilt my mum into not chucking away, but a lot of it it definitely hers!
I blame my messy hoarders house to the fact that I don't have enough storage to hide my endless bits and pieces away in. When infact, I need to just bite the bullet and clear out my junk pre-loved items and give them to a new home. Oh, I can see Mr Red Bird's face lighting up as he reads this!

Here's some snaps of our Berlin apartment!

....gorgeous huh! I highly recommend using Airbnb instead of perhaps booking a hotel as it's much more personal and has a lot more charm!

I also came across this blog this afternoon - Life Thru A Lens. It's written by a Finnish graphic designer and mother, and is full of bright inspiring photos of her loves. I can't but adore her taste in home decor. Those pops of Neon are just my thing & I love the yellow kitchen wall!

This has definitely given me the drive to make a start on my new decluttered lifestlye...