Frills 'n' Spills

Moving home is the most stressful thing that Mark and I have done this year. I never knew how much stuff you could cram into a flat until I had to sort through it all! I managed to get rid of about 10 bags of clothes in total and we also managed to declutter all the useful paperwork (a.k.a. Dominos leaflets) that we had accumulated. Our new flat is also a 2 bed flat but it is slightly smaller so we had to be really brutal and use our space more carefully but I'm really pleased by the set up we have now. We have a real mix of furniture and homewares but it really feels like home which I think is the most important thing :) The fact that it is only 10 minutes walk from town and has plenty of room for house parties is just a bonus really! ;)

We had some really lovely cards when we moved in and I didn't want to take them down as they really cheer the place up! This table was in our old lounge but has now been folded down and moved to act as a hall table. I was really pleased to be able to use my shell letter holder too. I picked it up in a charity shop in Stow-on-the-Wold three years ago (!) and I have never really had a home for it until now...

Our living room is one of my favourite rooms, it is so light and bright. It is a really unusual shape as it is on the outside curve of the building but we still managed to fit our furniture in which I am quite impressed by...

I love how bright our footstool and cushions are, they really help to brighten up the magnolia colour scheme! These pictures were a gift to Mark on his 18th birthday and although neither of us have been to New York, we will make it there one of these days...

We are definitely not the minimalist types, every side is filled with knick knacks, photos and far too many owl trinkets- what can I say, I am obsessed! This canvas was a gift from my parents last Christmas as me and my sisters loved the one that they had in their kitchen and so we all got one for Christmas which I love. It also reminds me of all the good times we had in Rome too which is no bad thing...

Buttercup, our cow canvas was a birthday git from my friend Matilda to make up for the fact that we had to leave the cows behind when we moved- isn't she lovely?! My parents have always been fans of Ercol furniture and I have inherited their love of the clean lines and 1960s shapes, even if Mark isn't so keen!

We unwittingly managed to create a turquoise theme throughout our house and even the ironing board matches! Until I sort the spare room out, this is the closest thing I have to a library corner and now we have a footstool over here (ILU Tiger!) I couldn't be happier to curl up with a good book!

Our balcony is probably the best part about our new flat and although the view is slightly less pretty than our old one, the novelty still hasn't worn off! 

Our new kitchen is lovely and we even have a DISHWASHER which is the most exciting news ever. Hooray for snazzy kitchen appliances!

Ahem. We will brush over this room as it is our current dumping ground and graveyard for all of our empty boxes. I will sort it out at some point, I promise...!

Our bedroom is my favourite room in the house- it is absolutely huge and has enough built in wardrobe space to fit all of my clothes in which is a minor miracle! We also have an en suite which I love- I have been properly spoilt with this room!

God bless IKEA and their wonderful storage solutions, I don't know how we would store my shoes otherwise!

How do you make a rented property feel like home?

No, I'm not sure in the title either! ;) One of the main reasons why Mark and I moved to Cheltenham was in order for us to have some semblance of a social life. Our old flat was lovely and the views were stunning (I still miss those cows!) but convenient, it wasn't. Luckily where we live now is only about 10 minutes away from town and after-work-activities are now a very real possibility which is very exciting news! I wore this out for food and drinks at the pub and although I usually find that impossible to dress for, I was really pleased with this outfit. Living across the road from Tesco is lethal in many ways (hello reduced food!) but mainly due to the fact that I can now get hold of their awesome clothes without having to order them online- hooray! This purple top also comes in a gorgeous grey and pink but I really love the autumnal feel of this colour. I really love purple but despite that I don't seem to own a lot of it, although I'm sure that will change soon. Especially as long as I am living opposite Tesco!

I have been experimenting with my make-up recently and by the looks of these photos I went a little overboard on the blusher but hey ho, low lighting is very forgiving! I have been using my Primpcess palette a lot recently, the eyeshadows are all gorgeous neutrals and even I can muster up a smoky eye with them! This necklace is an old favourite of mine (here it is back in 2010 and 2011!) and jazzes up this plain top nicely.

The length of this top is awesome and skims over a food baby nicely which is ideal when you are indulging in yet another portion of sweet potato fries ;) Apologies for the less than picturesque backdrop but needs must when it is rush hour! Now we are all unpacked, is anyone interested in a mini house tour? I am super nosy so I love looking round people's houses so just let me know :)

Are you interested in a tour of our flat? Let me know!

You know I can't resist fun accessories and when Out There Interiors offered to send me something from their website, I couldn't resist. I have worked with them before and as I was so impressed last time I knew I was onto a good thing! I had a pretty hard time choosing what I wanted to review until I saw this wonderful mannequin. I have always wanted one but never had the space until now so when I saw it, I couldn't order it quickly enough! I was super excited when she arrived and Maisie (as I have christened her) is happily ensconced in the corner of my living room. 

She arrived in a big box in pieces which Mark and I put together on Friday night (who says I don't know how to party?!) Thank goodness my Grandad takes in my parcels for me as the 2 ft tall box this came in would never have fitted in our letterbox!

It has been just over a year since Mark and I moved into our flat and although I promised some more photos I never got round to it! We have managed to make the flat out own in the past year or so and I thought now was a good time to share a few more photos. As we are only renting, we can't change too much so accessories are the only way we can introduce some personality into an almost entirely magnolia flat....

Since last year we have swapped our turquoise sofa for something a bit more tasteful and stuck to bright cushions to lift the grey colour slightly...

These photos were a birthday present from our friends for Mark's 18th, we clubbed together to buy the two on the left and I bought the final one in the set. We have never been to New York but it is definitely on our list of places to visit!

I'm sure you know by now that I am a massive fan of owls and my parents gave me these cuties for Christmas. They live on top of our TV guarding my selcetion of trashy TV box sets....

I love unusual glassware and the Russian doll carafe was inspired by Helen at Afeitar. I found these two bottles at a jumble sale a few years ago and I love the fact that they have a proper place to live now, rather than being shuttled back and forth in boxes to uni! You can also see the little terracotta owls which my mum bought me, they are supposed to bring good luck and are another beloved owl trinket! 

The lamp itself is pretty heavy as it is made from porcelain but apparently you can mount it on a wall ( I haven;t been that brave!) The lamp has been getting a lot of love and you can see why, I couldn't be happier with it! 

Yes I know, I know it is only 4th December and far too early for putting up your Christmas tree but I have been feeling really festive since we hit December this year (personally I think it is because I am not forced to be cheery as I am not working at a supermarket for the first time since 2006) and after I bought some extra decorations for our first Christmas in the flat at the weekend, it seemed only right to put up our tree as early as possible, sorry not sorry...