#AD Living in Electric Dreams with Order Electric Blinds.co.uk

Made to measure blinds are one of those things that sometimes can seem a bit stressful to buy. Because they are designed to fit a specific space and room they might look fabulous but the idea of the measuring, the ordering and then the installation can be a bit daunting for most of us.

Enter Order Electric Blinds

BEFORE –
The large window in our kitchen was looking pretty uninspired. An area of our home that doesn’t get much light, we inherited a wooden venetian blind when we moved in and had just stuck with it. The wooden slats were dust catchers and showed every splash of water from the sink, and the dark wood finish made it that even less light got through into the kitchen.

I wanted something that was both effective and stylish yet still subtle. Theres so many different colours and patterns available on the website and I was tempted by a bright orange which I think would of looked really great but decided on something a bit more neutral. In the Essentials range I went for the beige Electric Wire Free Blackout Roller Blind* as I thought it would be the best match to the paint colour in the kitchen. If you are in any doubt about choosing a colour, Order Electric Blinds can send you colour swatches so you can get the perfect shade for your room which I think is a great way to take some of the stress out of the made-to-measure process.

The Essential collection of electric roller blinds are a simple and effective way to dress your windows – included in the price is a power source, single channel handset and the made to measure blind. This collection of blinds is available up to a maximum size of 200cm wide by 170cm drop and all of the fabrics they use offer thermal insulation as well as blackout making them great for bedrooms and children’s rooms too.

Theres lots of information on their website from how to measure your windows to how to install your blind once you receive it, plus tons of youtube tutorial videos to help too. I’m a real worrier and found the whole thing really easy and stress-free.

The blind arrived really quickly and came with all the fixings required, a motor, controller and in our case a plug too. These blinds run off of amazing battery operated motors but can be plugged into a power source too if theres one nearby.

Order Electric Blinds only use Somfy motors in their blinds – Somfy are the market leaders in window blind motorisation. Every motor operates on RTS technology which means you can use the same handsets and timers to control a variety of products within your home including roller blinds, wood venetian blinds and roman blinds. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Now I’m no motor expert but my partner is an engineer so pretty discerning when it comes to these things. He was very impressed with the quality, the ease of fitting, set up and use (he fitted and programmed it) and the motorisation. Me? I liked the motor is very quiet, unobtrusive and makes me feel like I’m living in a boutique hotel!!!

AFTER –
And here it is! I am thrilled with the look but mostly its the quality and the ease of use that has really blown me away. We have set it to three heights (completely open, dropped slightly to stop the sun, closed) and each setting looks great. We’ve also wall mounted the controller nearby for ease of use.

Overall I couldn’t be happier with this blind. The quality is great, it works brilliantly and looks so contemporary and stylish. Not having rods or chains makes the whole look so much cleaner and the automation via the remote controller feels so luxe. Any decent DIY’er could put it up especially using the battery motor option and the website has so much information any question you could have can be easily answered. Prices start at £90.00 – and find the rest of the Order Electric Blinds roller blind range (including an amazing Orla Kiely range) here.

*this was a gifted item but all views stated are my own. For more information please see my disclaimer section.

Dressing for the office

Business Dress.

Do those words fill you with dread or excite you into thinking up new smart outfit combinations?

I have just returned to an office environment after working freelance for the last few years and I have to say, I’m thoroughly enjoying dressing smartly each day. Here is five of my looks I’ve been wearing as featured via my Instagram…

Dress – BHS, Necklace – Primark. Jacket – Dorothy Perkins, Blouse H&M, Bow – home made, Trousers – Wallis, Boots – Next.

Pearl & sequin front jumper – George at Asda, Shirt – Matalan, Faux Leather skirt (just seen) – Dorothy Perkins.

Jumper – H&M, tassel necklace – New Look, Trousers – Monsoon.

Roll neck – M&Co., necklace – Topshop, Skirt – Monsoon.

Hey, lets make the office our fashion show!!!
Style tip: formal clothes can be expensive – look out for new or nearly new items in charity shops. The two Monsoon items seen in this blog were new samples bought in Cancer Research UK for less than £5 each. They still had the labels on!

To follow my Instagram for these sort of photos every day (plus a whole lot more) click here. Like these looks? Look out for more business dress inspiration blogs coming soon…

Christmas the Always a Blue Sky Girl way

As many of you know, my background is in window dressing and visual styling and I’ve spent much of my career creating amazing Christmas concepts for the likes of Harrods, Selfridges, House of Fraser and Marks and Spencer. This means whether I like it or not, I have to ‘do’ Christmas in a certain way, with a certain style and over the years have collected some beautiful decorations to do it with.

In todays blog let me show you a few of my decorations and share some styling tips to hopefully help you create your most stylish Christmas ever!

Lets start with the first thing you see, the door wreath: Where we have a white modern door I have a very modern wreath. Its stylised with silver baubles inside, not to everyones taste but it suits our homes style. I like the simplicity of it and hopefully it sets the tone of the modern version of Christmas I personally love!

The Tree:

Having a modern designed home with retro/1960s highlights, I do love a white tree.  It is an acquired taste though. We actually have two trees each year, a traditional green one in the lounge and a more retro white one in our kitchen/diner. The mix of styles really works and keeps everyone happy.

On both trees I have a few rules – only a star on top, never an angel (sorry I find them super tacky, and a bit spooky); lots of large, stylised baubles made from glass if possible in a mix of no more than 4 colours and LED lights set deep within the branches.

Our two looks this year – Modern and cool : Traditional and festive:

Decoration groupings:

I don’t like a fussy home so mainly group similar decorations together in key areas.Ceramic soldier/fabric Robin: TK Maxx, Christmas Rules sign: Demelza House, slim Santa figure: Liberty, cut out stag: WilkinsonsGlass trees/Polar bear: TK Maxx, felt runner: John Lewis, wooden toadstools: Tiger Stores, baubles: HomebaseQuote cushion: Dunelm Mill, retro deer cushion: Asda, tapesty cushion: bought in New York (sorry!)  Merry Christmas sign: PaperchaseTin tray: The 99p Store

And with all this styling, I try to not take things too seriously, this is supposed to be a fun time after all… Giant bauble earrings for one of my favourite pieces of wall decor  A reindeer chopping board nestled amongst the usual ones in the kitchen And you’ve just got to have a few sprigs of Mistletoe hanging around, just in case!

And a final festive touch for our youngest child…well, if you don’t have a chimney, Santas got to get in somehow to deliver the presents! Santas key: Card Factory 

Have a wonderful Holiday season!  

For more Christmas inspo why not have a look at my blogs on advent calendars here and creating Christmassy kids rooms here.

Creating Christmas in a childs bedroom

They say Christmas is for kids, and I always like to make sure my childrens bedrooms feel festive too. In todays blog see my top 5 tricks to do Christmas in a fun and child friendly way, easily and cheaply…and best of all your kids will love it!

‘Days till Christmas’ countdown –

This is a great way to stop those ‘how many days…” questions you get pretty much every day of December. I like using a very cute, child friendly one and then have it displayed in their bedroom. Cute decoration groupings –

In the rest of my home my decorations have to be ultra stylish, but in the kids rooms? Anything goes! I let them pick ones they like then display in groups amongst their usual toys.  These were all bought in our local pound shop! Christmas duvet covers – 

This is a simple way to add Christmas cheer to their beds and there’s some lovely designs out there starting at around £9.99. We bought ours from Dunelm Mill and bought a new one this year for our 8 year old for £12.00 – find it here.Bunting – 

A great way to add decoration to the ceiling or on higher pieces of furniture. If bunting isn’t your style, making paper chains is a cheap and extremely effective solution too.
Festive soft toys – 

For smaller children a soft toy or two can really add a cute Christmas touch to their bedroom or nursery. Remember normal Christmas decorations could be dangerous for any child under 3 years, so keep safe by adding cute plush toys like the one below.I hope this gives you some inspiration to add some decorations upstairs in your home as well this year!

See my blog on advent calendars here.

Autumn Uniform

In todays blog I show you my forth and final ‘uniform’ to make dressing easy this autumn…

Todays uniform – dress, tights and boots  

What you need in your wardrobe – 

  • Winter dress (or add a polo neck under a shift dress)
  • Opaque tights
  • Ankle boots

This is really the easiest combination of all the autumn uniforms…just pick a winter dress you love and add thick tights and boots!  I’ve gone for this one from Primark – I really love how easy it is to wear – its made from a stretchy material and has white collar and cuff detail. For sizing I have gone for a 12 (its available in sizes 8-20) and costs £14.00. autumn uniform 4 - the dress and boots via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog
The dress itself is red and navy and works well with black accessories although you could easily use navy tights or if you want a quirky look, red boots would look amazing! autumn uniform 4 - the dress and boots via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog autumn uniform 4 - the dress and boots via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog  autumn uniform 4 - the dress and boots via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog
Keep the look dressy with ankle boots instead of knee length boots. Make sure you show off those legs!   If the weather is cold, layer a slim fitting t-shirt (or thermal top if you feel the cold like I do!) underneath or add a light-weight cardigan.  My tights are also Primark – 100 denier and cost £2.50 a pack. They are fantastic quality and I’d definitely recommend them. They are quite big though – I bought the size small and could still pull them up to bust level!autumn uniform 4 - the dress and boots via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog

As it’s daytime, neutral make up and wavy hair complete the look. I created volume in my hair using some Batiste dry shampoo which I find is perfect for encouraging beachy waves and a full look without having to wash your hair every day. 

I think I’ve found my new favourite dress and its a bargain one!

Find my blogs on creating uniforms 1, 2 and 3 here, here and here. I hope you’ve enjoyed my blogs on creating easy to put together outfits this Autumn and have mixed up a few ideas into your own outfits.  PS THEY WORK FOR WINTER TOO!!!

Dress : Primark
Tights : Primark
Boots : Marks & Spencer 

Whats your Autumn Uniform?

In this weeks styling tips blog I show you my third ‘uniform’ to make dressing easy this autumn…

Todays uniform – shirt, jumper and jeans. 

What you need in your wardrobe – 

  • Crew neck jumper
  • Button down shirt
  • Skinny or slim fit jeans
  • Plimsoll type casual shoe

autumn uniform styling tips - jeans shirt & jumper via always a blue sky girl
This is a great, easy to wear outfit for days when you want to feel comfortable yet still a little dressed up. Great for running around; wearing plimsolls and jeans is always a winner and the addition of a smart shirt under a jumper makes this look a little more dressy without any extra work.

autumn uniform styling tips - jeans shirt & jumper via always a blue sky girl  

autumn uniform styling tips - jeans shirt & jumper via always a blue sky girlPick a blouse or shirt with some pattern on. I’ve gone for a H&M blouse in a star print which is everywhere at the moment…


This look works with any casual flat shoe but I personally love a pair of Converse All Stars as they go with anything. When a leather version of their iconic black trainer came out I had to have a pair…they are a mixture of casual and smart and can be worn whatever the weather! If Converse aren’t your thing, just replace with any plimsoll type shoe.

Find my blogs on creating uniforms 1 and 2 here and here . Look out for my final blog on creating easy to put together outfits this Autumn next week.

Jumper : New Look

Shirt : H&M

Jeans : Dorothy Perkins

Shoes : Converse 

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

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… 
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog 

Even the refreshments were beautiful – imagine having these lovely things at your wedding reception…
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog  
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog 
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blogconfetti.co.uk wedding style it like a pro blogger day via always a blue sky girl

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.
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog  

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.
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog  

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.
confetti.co.uk style it like a pro day wedding products via Always a Blue Sky Girl blog 

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.

***********************************************

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!

    Starstruck

    Simple styling 101:  Take one statement shirt (think bright prints or a strong pattern), mix in some plain jeans/shoes and finally add a vintage accessory to make your look unique. Voila, your look is complete!

    Todays look is based around a fabulous star print H&M chiffon shirt.  I love statement shirts as they are so easy to wear, practical and flattering.  I do love this shirt… always a blue sky girl star print h&m shirt ootd

    always a blue sky girl star print h&m shirt ootd

    I added a great 1980’s bow collar I own and cute flat shoes with gold toes.  Adding the collar is a great way to make the blouse unique – you could make one yourself from ribbon or a scarf. I saw a stylist using a satin dressing gown belt to do the same a little while back.always a blue sky girl star print h&m shirt ootd

    always a blue sky girl store twenty one shoes ootd

    Make-up wise I went for dark eyes and neutral but glossy lips.  Winged eyeliner works great with the black jeans and shoes creating a great daytime ‘made-up’ look thats strong but not too OTT.

    always a blue sky girl star print h&m shirt ootd  

    This look can be replicated again and again using shirts of different patterns and colours. Easy outfit building and no-one will ever twig youre basically wearing the same outfit again and again!  We’ll just keep it our little secret…😉

    Blouse – Divided @ H&M

    Jeans – c/o Bonmarché*

    Bow collar – vintage

    Shoes – Store Twenty One