• Family Life - mindfulness - Orla Kiely

    Monday mindfulness – 5 Happy Things

    July 2, 2018 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone. Hope you had a great weekend. The weather has been lovely all week (again!) and we loved getting out for some family time this weekend. Each week I start off by writing my Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things blog post. It’s a great chance to reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures – it’s a post I always enjoy writing. Monday mindfulness – 5 Happy Things We managed to fit a lot into last week. My daughter had her first school trip…

  • Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern {Fashion and Textile Museum}
    days out - Family Life - London - Orla Kiely

    Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern {Fashion and Textile Museum}

    June 27, 2018 - By 

    Today I finally got to visit the Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey. I’ve been a huge fan of Orla Kiely for about 15 years and have a growing collection of handbags, bedding and homeware. The only thing I’ve not really bought into is her clothing range. Even if you don’t know the name you will know her prints. My favourite is her stem print which can be found on just about everything from cars to books, candles and yoghurt pots. The Fashion and Textile Museum is a short walk from London Bridge underground…

  • Danone Light and Free X Orla Kiely
    competition - Family Life - Orla Kiely

    Danone Light and Free X Orla Kiely

    May 6, 2018 - By 

    I love collaborations! I don’t usually eat breakfast but that didn’t stop me looking for the latest collaboration between Danone Light and Free X Orla Kiely. You all know how much I love my Orla Kiely handbags. Some of her homeware has crept into my house but generally I’m limited to a new handbag on my birthday or for Christmas. Well I was overjoyed to find an affordable collaboration between Danone Light and Free and Orla Kiely. Danone Light and Free X Orla Kiely Yep, Danone Light and Free and teamed up with Orla Kiely on an exclusive range of limited edition…

  • Vintage foot stool makeover with Orla Kiely fabric
    Crafts for adults - Orla Kiely - Pinty Plus Ambassador - upcycling

    Vintage foot stool makeover

    February 7, 2018 - By 

    A few years ago I picked up a vintage foot stool at a car boot sale. I wanted to re-cover it with some lovely Orla Kiely fabric. I think the foot stool may have sat in the spare room for about 6 years until I recently found it again. You know that 2018 is the year of tackling those little projects I stashed away. So this is what it looked like before I upcycled it. There were two parts to it – the wooden base and top. The top was embroidered over a foam pad (although we didn’t know this…

  • sewing machines at Liberty London
    days out - homestyle - Monday Happy List - Orla Kiely

    Monday Happy Things {Week 144}

    July 3, 2017 - By 

    We are definitely feeling that the end of term is coming. Every thing is finishing which is kind of satisfying but also scary because that means the summer holidays! My son has handed in his school library book for the last time, finished his handwriting book and had his last Gardening Club session. Only 3 weeks left and still so much to squeeze in! It’s time for my Monday Happy Things post – the 5 things which made me really happy in the last 7 days. My to do list is always long but I’ve excelled myself by buying some uniform…

  • West Kennet Long Barrow
    homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List - Orla Kiely

    Monday happy things {Week 134}

    April 24, 2017 - By 

    What a difference a week makes. A week ago we stood on top of West Kennet Long Barrow in Wiltshire and enjoyed the Bank Holiday. The next day the children went back to school and I missed them and felt a bit lost at home on my own. It’s funny how quickly you get used to being surrounded by people. We spent the weekend removing the carpet from my son’s room and laying laminate down. I really hate carpet and it was down when we bought the house 4 years ago so it had to go. We also gave the room a bit…

  • finishing touches to our spare room
    homestyle - interiors - Orla Kiely

    Putting the finishing touches to our spare room

    April 3, 2017 - By 

    We’re lucky to have a spare room for friends and family to come and stay. It is well used but was in desperate need of a makeover. It’s quite a dark room, filled with a spare bed, vintage chest of drawers and lots of bookshelves. A few months ago we painted all the walls white and put up a gorgeous Orla Kiely wallpaper on the end wall. We chose the Orla Kiely Multi Striped Petal but looking back over my blog I can’t seem to find a finished photo of the room. We changed the position of the bed and…

  • another visit to the Lego Store
    homestyle - Monday Happy List - Orla Kiely

    Monday Happy Things {Week 130}

    March 27, 2017 - By 

    This week was a little crazy. After celebrating our son’s birthday over the weekend it was my turn to celebrate my birthday. So I started the week by going shopping with my husband and having a delicious lunch out. I really wanted to buy a pair of Saltwater sandals but I couldn’t find any, but I was happy with a browse in some of my favourite shops. I spent my actual birthday with my 7 year old who was poorly. It wasn’t quite how I expected to spend my day but he was good company, despite being ill. He’s really…

  • Mother's Day haul from Orla Kiely Covent Garden
    homestyle - Mother's Day crafts - Orla Kiely

    Mother’s Day haul from Orla Kiely Covent Garden

    March 26, 2017 - By 

    Happy Mother’s Day to all you mum’s out there. Mother’s Day always comes so close to my son’s birthday and my own birthday that we don’t usually make a fuss about it. I love handmade cards and this year my children spoilt me with cards made at school. I was a pretty lucky lady because yesterday we were in London for our London Duck Tours outing and I popped into the Orla Kiely shop in Covent Garden. My husband let me pick something for Mother’s Day and I chose a basket of goodies specially put together. There were two to…