Frills 'n' Spills: house

A fresh start

It has been a long time since I have posted on my little corner of the internet but I wasn't quite ready to pull the plug just yet. I started this blog with Danni nearly a decade ago (!) and I never imagined all of the different opportunities it would open up for me. Nowadays I am a social media marketer by day and I'm less inclined to take photos and rattle off a post when I get home from work, mainly because my need for a creative outlet is much less urgent than when I was working at ASDA for instance. The usual joys of stress and pressure have also piled up so I couldn't dedicate the energy I needed to make this a feasible part of my everyday routine.

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I still love seeking out bargains and styling up outfits though, so expect to see a bit more of that here. Mark and I also bought our first house back in December 2018 so a lot of our disposable income is going on finding pieces for that rather than adding to my ever-expanding wardrobe! I have also set myself a challenge to read more books than last year and I'm pleased to say I'm already 40 down towards my target of 130. If you've got any recommendations, please do let me know. Looking forward to re-acquainting myself with everyone's blogs (hopefully at least some of my faves are still posting!)

Here's to fresh starts!

BRB, moving house...

As you may have seen, Mark and I have just moved house which is VERY exciting but lack of internet, a million boxes to unpack (who knew we had so much stuff?!) and an much-needed holiday means that I won't be blogging for a while. I can't wait to share some pictures once I am back though, the flat is lovely and it even has a balcony!

Maisie the mannequin...

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.

Click here to see all of the lovely things on Out There Interior's website

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!

I have to say though, I was nowhere near as impressed with this mannequin as I was with my 'M' lamp. You can see here how sloppy some of the glue is and where the fabric has worn through after rubbing on the side of the box. If I had paid full price for this I would have been really disappointed, it doesn't look like a lot of care has been taken with it :(

There's nothing better than playing dress up and luckily I have been able to disguise most of these things with a few well placed accessories ;)

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Out There Interiors

Home is where the heart is...

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...

I can never resist going mad in Ikea and last time we came away with this little clock for the living room. For some reason, Mark said this one was too much?!

Mugs brought back from our trip to Italy last year. I am amazed that we managed to get them back in one piece to be honest!

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!

Pudsey and female friend (Fudsey?!) on our little cane chair. You will often find me sitting on this chair curled up with a good book or watching the cows.... Yes I am a grandma! ;)

Wine carafe from our friends, wooden duck figurine and various cards...

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!

Recently, Out There Interiors offered to send me something and when I saw this amazing alphabet lamp I fell in love. I have never been more glad that Mark and I share the same initial!

Lamp c/o Out there Interiors

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!

COWS! The cows are still my favourite part of living here, I was so excited when we get a new herd of them recently, they are just such cheery creatures!

How do you make your house feel like home?

P.S. This post was done in collaboration with Out There Interiors....

A weekend in Portishead... (PICTURE HEAVY)...

All I seem to be doing recently is travelling! This weekend, Mark, Sophie and I took a trip down to Portishead as our friends have just bought a house (!) there and they invited us down to see it. I had never been before so wasn't sure what to expect but it was lovely, very expensive looking but friendly too. Whilst we were down there, we also spent a day at the spa followed with some shopping at Street , definitely a girls' weekend cliche! The spa we went to was fab, and my neck and back massage was just what I needed to relax, after a stressful few weeks...

Portishead Marina- can I have a billionaire husband and a yacht please?!

Lovely coloured flats at the water's edge.

This was a some kind of animal made out of old oil and gas drums who I fell in love with, isn't he the cutest?!

I had unfortunately dressed for sunnier climes so I had to bundle up in a scarf and gloves on top of my blazer. I found out that it gets pretty windy along the waterfront!

The rocks were a lot of fun for clambering all over, however old you get I don't think you ever grow out of this!

Brightly coloured sculptures- Mark and I liked their weird faces....

I think this was some kind of lighthouse which looked amazing. Imagine the view you would get from up there! These stone pillars were a bit strange, we decided in the end that they were markers for lost ships. Anyone care to put me right?

After a brisk walk we popped into Chandos Deli for a quick drink where I had the world's yummiest berry smoothie. The decor was quite minimalist but these flowers added a splash of colour to each table.

These brightly coloured oranges looked amazing in the sunshine but the smell made me all nostalgic for Italy!

More lovely apartments (can you tell I'm jealous yet?!)

We saw lots of sculptures as we were walking around the marina but this one was definitely my favourite. These 3 matchsticks were huge and I did have trouble getting them into a photo but my contortions were worth it! I love how the metal is carved to look like wood and they looked so realistic, I almost expected smoke to come off them!

Have you ever been to Portishead? How do you relax?

House-warming...

Last Saturday, Mark and I held a little house-warming party for a few of our friends to celebrate all of the exciting changes that have been happening around here. Luckily I had the perfect outfit as I found this beautiful silk Warehouse shirt in a local charity shop for £6 from £45, unworn with all the tags on. I couldn't have got it to the till any quicker even if it's something different to what I would normally wear!

I couldn't believe how well it went with the curtains in our living room, this really takes matchy matchy to a whole new level but you heard it here first, outfits that match your soft furnishings are the next big trend dontcha know... I can't wait to wear this top to work, I think it is going to be a hard-working member of my wardrobe.

I decided to revive my trusty bodycon skirt (I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I last wore it!) as the loose fit and high neckline needed something to contrast with so the fit was perfect...

Even my nail varnish matched perfectly! Max Factor Max effect mini nail polish in dazzling blue is the perfect summery turquoise. It always makes me think of mermaids!

This ring was also a complete bargain, £2.50 for a bit of (fairly tasteful) bling.... BARGAIN!

OMNOMNOMNOM gotta love party food! These are the ideal party essentials in my opinion!

What are your party essentials? Have you tried anything that's not your usual style?

Nancy Drew...

Welcome to my first outfit post from our new flat, I am still trying to find a decent background so you will have to bear with me until I find a nice blank wall...I don't know why, but I always feel like a detective in this hat! I don't wear it enough but I actually love the 1920s feel it gives to an outfit.

Dress: Zara, hat: Marks & Spencer, belt: George at ASDA, bag: NW3 by Hobbs, shoes: New Look

Occasionly I am struck with a sudden bolt of inspiration when it comes to getting dressed and this outfit was one of those times. You all know how much I love my little red bag and this hat matched the tan tones on it perfectly. I have also been wearing this belt a lot recently, the floral print helps to jazz up an otherwise plain outfit...

I love it when I can match my lipstick to what I'm wearing and this scarlet Max Factor lipstain is perfect. I desperately need a haircut though, does anyone know of any good hairdressers in Cheltenham?

In one of those rare sunny interludes partaking in my favourite past-time: watching the cows. What more could you ask for?

Which items should you wear more? What is your favourite past-time?

A few sneak peeks of the flat...

As you may know, I have recently moved house and started a new job, both of which I am loving! I am still waiting for the internet to be installed so here's some gratuitous house pictures instead of my usual posts...