I Spy Friday

After a lovely Christmas weekend of indulgence and laziness, and a week of trying to pretend to not be lazy (and failing), I'm ready for some New Year resolve. And, of course, even the strongest of resolve needs to be strengthened with a little shopping.

But if your resolution is to save money, don't worry. Everything in this week's I Spy is on sale.

Get Organized: Dove Grey Gesso Noticeboard, available from Cox & Cox
Get Crafty: Learn to Knit Kit by Keep & Share, available from Not on the High Street
Get There on Time: Retro Alarm Clock by I Love Retro, available from Not on the High Street
Get Clean: The Art of Good Housekeeping, available from Foyle's Books
Get Green: Enamel Compost Bucket, available from Garden Trading
Get Growing: Grow Tins, available from Pedlars

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner

I'm sorry to have taken longer than expected to post the winner to this giveaway. I had trouble with embedding random.org's little number-generator widget to prove the randomness of the selection. Well, I never did figure it out, so instead of taking more time to do so, I figured you'll believe me that this selection was made by the impartial random.org.

So, according to random.org, the winner is...

#10, new follower Liz! Congratulations! I or someone from CSN Stores will be in touch soon with your discount code!

I Spy Friday

It's freezing (literally) here in London right now. I'm sitting in the kitchen and looking out the window, and it's snowing! For the second time this year! Which is pretty exceptional.

So, when I started thinking about putting together a Christmas outfit, I thought warm. And cute, of course.

From top to bottom:
Chunky Funnel Knit sweater from Fat Face
Pretty Ruffle Tee from Boden (in Clover)
Cord pencil skirt from j.crew (in Rich Brown)
Dulce Ring by Lavender Room, available from Not on the High Street
Glamour Headband from Banana Republic
Inhale Pant from Athleta (in Falcon) [For after dinner. Especially if your family likes games that include a fair amount of jumping around, like mine does.]
Soft and Dreamy Top Striped Knee High Socks by K. Bell, available from Sock Dreams
Sémillion Flats from Mod Cloth

At Home: Helen and her flowers

I'm always so curious about what brides do with their flowers after the wedding, so I was so happy when I got an email from Helen (remember Helen, who eloped to NYC this summer?) with some pictures of her with her bouquet at home.

Here are my thoughts: I kinda hate Helen for being one of those girls who can pull off really high-style-y type clothes, and also I want her home.
 

Here are some more thoughts: I kinda heart Helen for being so sweet and stylish, and for incorporating her bouquet into her home decor so nicely. Not to mention sending me these lovely photos. So, in other words, I'm torn. But leaning towards heart.

p.s. If you like Helen's stylishness as much as I do, be sure to check out her blog, Alma Matters.

Kaylee and Matt's wedding

Do you wanna see a wedding? A wedding with a super-cute and gorgeous bride? And a handsome groom? In a casual, rustic, stylish setting? With a bad-ass bridesmaid? And some pretty paper flowers?

Well, what a coincidence, because I just happen to have some pictures Matt and Kaylee's wedding!

Kaylee ordered some autumnal flowers that she wanted to arrange herself, and I have to say she did an amazing job. (And by the way, how lovely and sweet is this photo?)

She added some dried flowers and made fabric leaves.

Did I mention a really cool bridesmaid? Here ya go:

For more pictures of Matt and Kaylee's gorgeous fall wedding, head over to Kaylee's flickr stream.

Photos by Tina Hessenaur

I Spy Friday

One of the best and worst things about the holiday season is all of the parties and family gatherings. While it's wonderful to go out and visit with friends, fitting it all into your schedule can be so exhausting. Never mind the effect that huge groups of strangers have on the somewhat retiring (like me).

One of the most difficult things is finding a perfect host or hostess gift. Something with personality, but not too much. Something fun, but also useful or yummy. Rather than fall back on the eternal bottle of wine, I've compiled some lovely gift ideas in a variety of prices that would work for just about anyone.

Owl Candy Dish by fruitflypie, available in her etsy shop
Tasting Selection Box ('cause if you're going to do wine, you might as well go crazy with it), available from Fortnum & Mason
Handcrafted Marshmallows, available in chocolate or vanilla from Williams Sonoma
Handprinted Tote Bag by Sima, available in her ArtFire shop
Vintage French Linen Tea Towel, available from LaManche

Happy shopping! And don't forget to enter the giveaway for a CSN Stores gift card!

Giveaway: CSN Stores!!!

Just in time for Christmas, the lovely folks over at CSN have hooked me up with a giveaway for you, dear readers! So, really they're hooking you up. Nice, huh? In case you're not familiar, CSN Stores have a ton of sites, both in the US and Canada, and in the UK, that sell just about everything you could ever need, from bedroom furniture to appliances to jewelry and just about everything in between.

And, since they're just that nice, this giveaway is good on both sides of the Atlantic. If you're in the UK, it'll be a £15 gift card. For those of you in the US or Canada, it'll be a $20 one-time discount code. In either case, your discount can be applied to any purchase on any of CSN's sites.

So, here are the rules:
1. Follow the blog (if you don't already). If you do, skip to step 2.
2. Leave a comment on this post, announcing to the world that you have followed the blog, or that you already follow.
3. Do all of the above before Wednesday, December 15th.
4. On Thursday the 16th, I'll randomly pick a number and announce the winner here!

Good luck!

I Spy Friday

So... all of my good blogging intentions kind of went out the window this week, as I was preparing for this Saturday's Craft Guerrilla Christmas Emporium. But I promise to be back with more next week, including the last stop of our India trip and some of my favorite Christmas decorating.


In the meantime, here are some gift ideas for guys. My husband had final approval on all of the items on this one.

Paul Smith telescopic umbrella, available from Fortnum & Mason
Thermos flasks, available from Pedlars
Musette Deployment sling bag, available from Not on the High Street
Vintage Harris tweed jacket, available from Whistles
Derek Rose striped pyjamas, available from John Lewis