Advent Calendars with style

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 | blueskygirlie

So, today it is the 1st of December (how did that happen?!?) and if you have kids (or are a kid a heart) its time to put out your advent calendar. The question is, what do you do to count down the days of December?

A few years back I decided that I (and my stylish home) could no longer live with the cardboard calendars filled with cheap chocolate that come covered in advertising for the latest TV show or movie. Plus when you have three children in the house under 10, you end up with three Peppa Pig/Spiderman/ Star Wars/Disney etc ones dotted around. Also just to make it a bit more complicated we are a ‘blended family’ so at different times we have different amounts of children living with us – the idea of having uneaten chocolate building up and calendars three or four days behind didn’t feel festive at all, just slightly depressing.

So what to do? I have seen some lovely ideas via Etsy of bespoke handmade creations – here are some of my favourites…

Envelope advent calendar by MummyPuddleduck buy here

Box tree advent calendar by DorsetHodgepodge buy here

Fabric pocket bunting advent calendar by SewSweetViolet buy here

Paper bag kit advent calendar by PeachBlossomUK

buy here

All lovely reusable and flexible solutions.

I happened to be in Ikea when I chanced upon our stylish solution – a 3D cardboard calendar in a Scandinavian style design with 24 drawers that could be filled with whatever (and most importantly whatever amount) of sweets we wanted! We decided to fill it with milk and white Christmas chocolate coins but you could as easily add small toys, messages or small amounts of money. And best of all its completely recyclable and something we can bring out every year as a family tradition. I love that.
The kids are happy, my partner is happy and I am happy. I call that a win!

Why not try something new this December and create a family tradition of your own? Look out for more blogs this month on how I like to do Christmas.

The thing I fell in love with this week

October 10, 2015October 11, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Iwako Japanese rubber sets – £6.75 Paperchase

Rubbers…boring huh? Well not in Japan. In Japan they are AMAZING!!!

You know sometimes you don’t need something but you just really want it? Well this was one of those times. Iwako erasers are unbelievable in their detail and can be collected singularly or in sets. They come in every variation you can imagine and if you like a quirky bit of design (and maybe are a child of the 80s when rubber collecting was big) you’ll love them.
I now have the fast food set sitting on my desk…on its own tray! They are sort of too beautiful to use! I’m a total nerd I know…

Look out for my blog next Saturday on what else I’ve fallen in love with.

The thing I fell in love with this week

September 26, 2015September 27, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Primark Home ‘hello’ metal sign : £2.00

This is from their retro college range which I’ve loved since I saw some via the press show images… source

I love a flash of orange and this super sweet sign was impossible to resist! It is now part of my kitchen décor, greeting guests as they walk in…

Look out for my blog next Saturday on what else I’ve fallen in love with.

The thing I fell in love with this week

September 12, 2015September 19, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Alessi fridge magnets: £5.50 each via Amazon.

I love Alessi design. I own quite a few pieces and have them out in my kitchen creating a fun and funky vibe. Some even appeared in the interiors book I styled – ‘Style Your Modern Vintage Home’ by Kate Beavis.

Photo by Simon Whitmore for FW Media for Style Your Modern Vintage Home.

When I saw Alessi had created minature versions of some of their most iconic designs I fell in love immediately! There are 8 fridge magnets currently in the range depicting 4 of the most popular and iconic Alessi designs. I think a mint Anna G bottle opener might have to be mine next…

source

…Or maybe a Magic Bunny as I have the full sized version already (in real life it holds cocktail sticks).

At £5.50 each its a great way to buy into the range (Alessi designs can be quite expensive) or give yourself a little treat without breaking the bank. Mine sit on my orange Smeg fridge with pride and make me smile everytime I see them!

Find the full range of Alessi magnets via Amazon here and look out for a new item I’ve fallen in love with next week!

I ❤️ Al Fresco Dining

August 24, 2015August 24, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I love to dine outside in the summer and aim to do it as much as I can while the weather allows. I have a huge collection of outside dining items both new and vintage which I have amassed over the years and we have a family outdoor dining table placed at the far end of our garden (to catch the best of the sun) and small bistro set on our patio right by our kitchen french doors.

Ironically theres something missing at the moment…a BBQ! Our last one went to appliance heaven after many years of faithful service and I’ve not had time to replace it. I do love to eat outdoors with family and friends and if I got a new one I know exactly where I’d put it – I’d place it against the wall that runs alongside our patio. It would be near enough to the kitchen for practicality, but still in its own little ‘outdoor zone’ for my style aesthetics.

In todays blog I’ve styled up the space in my garden next to where I’d have the BBQ located and created a fantastic look on our bistro set using some of my favourite outdoor items that I hope you love!

I have kept the colours mainly neutral and gone for a stylish ‘grown up’ setting with a rustic feel including my new Kilner drinks dispenser and mason jar glasses. The bright colour of the orange fruit punch shines through and you just can’t help but feel summery (and thirsty!) looking at it.

The 5L dispenser is from The Range and costs just £14.99 which I think is a great price. They also do matching Kilner jar glasses with handles but they come without tops which doesn’t work with a house full of kids, plus I personally don’t like the handled version (they seem too heavy and clunky for my style) so I’ve co-ordinated mine with smaller, prettier mason jar glasses from wedding retailer Confetti.

I love the rustic simplicity of a mason jar glass and the metal screw cap and washable straw means it can be used summer after summer. Yet again we have Pinterest (and America) to thank for the inspiration!

A chenille throw and a few cushions soften the look – I love the message on this Asda hopsack cushion – ‘Enjoy the little things in life, for someday you will realise they were the big things’. Wise words indeed! I always like to have a throw or two available for guests to keep them cosy as the night gets chillier – why stop your BBQ when the sun goes down?

If BBQ’ing alone isn’t to your taste, how about setting up a pretty picnic basket, so that people can help themselves? This looks great but is also a clever way to display pre-prepared food such as sandwiches and cakes. Store loose food in quirky containers such as these mini mason jars again from Confetti – theres no tacky Tupperware boxes allowed here!
And once the sun goes down, light your candles – the glow from the tealights looks just lovely. I love how pretty different sized candle holders look when grouped together – repeat this throughout your outdoor space to make any party look magical. Holders can be picked up cheaply and one of my favourite places to buy them is Store TwentyOne where they start at just £1.

So get cooking outdoors this summer, surround yourself with your nearest and dearest, put on your favourite music and enjoy. I honestly couldnt do summer any other way!

Create the look:

Bistro table & chairs – Tesco Direct

Kilner drinks dispenser – The Range

Mason Jar glasses – Confetti.co.uk*

Mini Mason Jars – Confetti.co.uk*

Picnic hamper – Vintage

Throw – Dunelm Mill

Cushion – Asda

Wood bowls – Vintage

Tealight holders – Store TwentyOne, M&S

This is my entry into the Style Your Space competition via Direct Stoves.

Head in the clouds…

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

It all started with some tea towels…

I picked out a set of Cath Kidston ‘clouds’ print tea towels for mothers day this year. I adore a blue sky/white cloud motif in general and I just loved them. My business is Blue Sky Visual, my blog is called Always a blue sky girl, my Instagram/Twitter/ Pinterest name is BlueSkyGirlie. Why? Because ‘blue sky thinking’ people always strive for the most creative and ambitious solution and see everything from a highly creative perspective and I would like to think thats the kind of creative person I am! And if not, thats what I aspire to be.

Then I saw the trainers…

A collaboration between Gola and Cath Kidston that were just my style. I bought them with my birthday money and have worn them so much. Just looking down at your feet makes you feel happy and I blogged about them here.

I loved wearing them to Copenhagen on our last trip…seemed something so right about cloud prints and being up in the sky in a plane…and by then I’d bought a zip up purse too.

I decided with the Cath Kidson summer sale on another item had to be mine. I wanted a bag – nothing too formal or big, just something that would be great for shopping and wearing with jeans etc.

I went for something a bit different and tweaked it to what I needed…maybe I used some of that blue sky thinking!?! This is officially a craft bag (I guess for knitting/ sewing stuff etc) and was reduced from £35 to just £15. Its a soft fabric bag with large pockets on both sides and a tie to the top. To make it a bit more robust and tote-like I carefully opened up the small part of the inside lining and cut a hard base out of cardboad, inserted it in and re-sewed the lining. I’m thrilled with the outcome!

And here it is with its new friends! I do like a bit of co-ordination…

Find the bag online here or check out your nearest Cath Kidston store. Do you love the range as much as I do? Don’t tell my boyfriend, but I’m debating getting the lamp next…

Confetti.co.uk ‘Style it Like a Pro’ day

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015 | blueskygirlie

As you probably know I’m recently engaged and as a stylist the look of my wedding is a big deal – to be honest the look of EVERYTHING is important to me!

As well as blogging here I also write inspiration blogs on wedding styling and have styled a couple of real life weddings, so new wedding ranges and trends are always of interest.

When I heard about www.confetti.co.uk‘s Style it like a Pro event I was really excited. The chance to meet some other like-minded bloggers, see the new ranges and also see some styling ideas in practice.

source

As a trained stylist I wasn’t expecting to learn anything new but it was a great refresher and definitely made me get excited about weddings! Seeing all the products, being able to touch and feel them plus see the gorgeous looks set up in real life was great.

So what were the Confetti.co.uk in-house stylist’s top tips for styling a wedding display?

Firstly always consider three main things when styling – height, detail and texture
Once you have those in your display then think about colour and theme. Three of their main trends were shown to us – Industrial, Vintage & Woodland. The boho side of me defintely liked the rustic, fairytale look of Woodland the best but they were all lovely.
Look to use a small amount of alternative ideas, such as mixing themes or repurposing items e.g. cake toppers as ornaments or cupcake holders holding decorative accents or candles.
If you’re mixing things together then make sure you keep a constant. If you mix themes for example keep the colour palette the same.
Finally, make it personal – this is your wedding, pick things you love and make it beautiful in your own way.

I had great fun Instgram’ing all the pretty stuff I spied…

Even the refreshments were beautiful – imagine having these lovely things at your wedding reception…

Here are some of my favourite items from the day…

Industial look table centrepiece – I love the starkness of the galvanised metal and chalkboard area for information, plus the flowers add a pretty and fresh element.

Lace parasol – the intricate detail of this full sized parasol was so beautiful and perfect for shading the bride or her guests at a summer wedding. There’s also a mini version that can be used as a display piece that is super cute.

Embracing bear cake toppers – These ceramic bears are actually designed to sit on top of the wedding cake but used as decorative pieces within the Woodland theme looked just adorable.

We were told that around 75% of the products are developed in-house for some unique style you wont find anywhere else. Great for all of us who want to be unique…and lets be honest everyone wants that on their wedding day. I definitely was impressed with the range and will be persuing the website soon for a few key pieces for myself…Hey, I am engaged! Look out for them styled in further blogs.

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Confetti.co.uk has teamed up with some of the leading UK wedding brands to provide one lucky couple with a stunning prize package in their Win Your Wedding competition. The winner will receive the key components needed to have the wedding of their dreams, without the hefty price tag up to the value of a huge £40000!

Enter the competition today for your chance to win – I have! Find it on the website here. The winning couple will receive…*takes a deep breath*

Reception Venue courtesy of Big Chief Tipi
Wedding Photography courtesy of Jenny Martin Photography
Discounted Wedding Photography courtesy of Portobello Picture Co
Bridal Makeup courtesy of Made Up Makeup and Beauty
Caviar courtesy of Kings Fine Food
Bridal Lingerie courtesy of StephieAnn Design
Wedding Album courtesy of Illustries
Wedding Transportation courtesy of Transformer Cars
Flower Girl Dress courtesy of Poppy England
Bridal Dressing courtesy of Bridal Dressing by Angela
Wedding Stationery, Veil, Wedding Favours, Ceremony Accessories, Table and Venue Decor, Personalised Decor and Venue Styling courtesy of Confetti.co.uk
Thank You Flowers for the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom
Bridal Shoes courtesy of Crystal Bridal Accessories
Bridesmaid Jewellery courtesy of Tigerlily Jewellery
Wedding Caricature Entertainment courtesy of The Wedding Artist
Fabric flower bouquet courtesy of Daphne Rosa
Photo Scarves x3 courtesy of My Story Gifts
Groom and Usher Suits courtesy of Stephen Bishop Suiting
Wedding celebration recipe book courtesy of Recipe Gift Book
Speech Writing Services courtesy of Great Speech Writing
Bridal Headwear courtesy of Cata Vassalo
Reception Entertainment courtesy of Warble Entertainment
Boudoir Photography Session courtesy of Divine Divas
Videography courtesy of Shoot it Yourself
Male Shaving Hamper x4 courtesy of Dalit Goods Co.
Spa break and beauty package for two courtesy of Ardencote Manor
Doodle Duvet and Pens Bundle courtesy of Eat Sleep Doodle
Photobooth courtesy of Picture Blast
Bridal Gown courtesy of Eternity Bridal
Wedding Dress Storage courtesy of Empty Box Company
Cyprus Honeymoon courtesy of Kanika Hotels
Bridesmaid Dresses courtesy of Alexia Designs
Bridal Coaching Hen Party courtesy of The Bridal Coach
Stag Party courtesy of StagWeb
Hen Party courtesy of GoHen
Silk Flowers courtesy of Petals Polly
Live Band courtesy of earcandy
Wedding Bands courtesy of Beaverbrooks
Wedding Coordination courtesy of Black Pearl Weddings
First Anniversary Short Break courtesy of SuperBreak
Mobile Bar courtesy of Mambo Mobile Bars
Table Top Love Letter Lights courtesy of The White Bulb
A Bespoke Wedding Memory Book courtesy of Memeoirs
Wedding Macaron Favours courtesy of Anyonita Nibbles

Now thats an impressive prize!

Store Twenty One Summer buys

June 16, 2015June 16, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I really like the homewares range in Store Twenty One. Its on trend, stylish and very competitvely priced. I blogged about my Spring homeware buys from this hidden gem here and often pop in to see whats new. I have recently fallen in love with a new range they have called Candy Floss. Its really pretty, in sugary pastel colours with a lovely retro vibe reminiscent of Orla Kiely and I couldn’t resist treating myself to a few bits especially since they had a 20% off promotion!
Here is my top picks from the range –
Hanging tree photo frame – £8.00  Cut out key cabinet – £5.00
Three part storage shelf – £10.00  Hanging Bird frames – £8.00 Cut out tree decoration – £3  Set of three frames on shelf – £10.00
I also fell in love with these retro storage boxes – I love a 1960’s inspired print!
Set of cardboard retro storage boxes – £3.00 to £6.00.

All images via www.storetwentyone.co.uk

And these are the bits I’ve bought so far. They will be going into our renovated utility room when its completed. I love them!

All these items are in store now! Look out for promotions and special offers across the summer. To find your nearest store click here.

My home style: The flat 2013

April 7, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Back in 2013 my flat was featured in the book ‘Style Your Modern Vintage Home’ by Kate Beavis which I was also the stylist on. It is a fantastic book featuring peoples vintage inspired homes from the 1920’s look through to the 1980’s/90’s look and also includes advice on collecting vintage plus lots of styling tips in how to display your finds.

I thought today I would share it with you to give you a taste of my personal home and interiors style…

All images courtesy of Simon Whitmore via F&W Media International Ltd.

I love to mix vintage and modern together so my home fitted the books brief perfectly. As an ex window dresser and now stylist and style blogger how things look are so important to me. Am I fussy? Maybe!

I also wanted to show what could be done in a rented flat as so often interior books and magazines only show the most amazing, huge older houses – totally unrealistic for the majority of us. Real life can still look fabulous. So take a look at the flat I lived in then…

The lounge – a fun mix of pop art, flashes of red and orange and retro 60’s styling.

Table – original 1960’s Arkana, Artwork – John Lewis, M&S, Sofa – Harveys, Cushions – Matalan, Primark, Lamp – M&S, China Cats – Villeroy & Boch, Rug – vintage.

The kitchen/diner – a rented flats modern kitchen styled to feel different & quirky with a dining area designed to maximise a small space.

Table & chairs – original 1960’s Arkana, Artwork – vintage 1980’s, John Lewis, Fridge – Smeg, Glassware – vintage 1960’s, Kettle & Toaster – Breville, Clock – M&S, Accessories – Alessi, Matalan, Vintage

The hall – Fun vibes with a practical need.

Side table – original 1960’s Arkana, Lamp – Dwell, Clock – vintage 1990’s Swatch, Chair (just seen) – original 1960’s Arkana, Trimphone telephone & telephone book – vintage 1970’s

And finally some of the styling details –

It was a great exerience having my home, as it looked in that moment in time, immortalised in a book!

I have since moved to a new house that needs work, so look out for blog posts showing my home styling there. A bigger space will be much more fun and now thst we are not renting anymore, we can change what we want!

‘Style your Vintage Modern Home’ by Kate Beavis is available from Amazon – here

All images courtesy of Simon Whitmore via F&W Media International Ltd.