Retrospections and New Beginnings

 Just Be Splendid

Well, it is hard to believe that another year is almost over. 2009 has been a big year for me. This year I got engaged, then got married, changed jobs, moved house, went to New York and just got another new job (a promotion!) before Christmas. Phew!

I am super excited about what 2010 will bring. Husband and I are saving madly to buy our first house (yipee!), so hopefully by this time next year we will be in our own home which will be very exciting indeed!

Do you have any resolutions or exciting plans for 2010? I hope you chase your passions and live out your dreams to make 2010 a fabulous year!

Until 2010,

Rachel x

Lovely Country Interiors

I managed to convince husband to see Did You Hear About the Morgans? with me last night. I was never expecting it to be a film classic, but it was a great chick flick and perfect for the holidays!

There were plenty of splendid country scenes as the movie was set in the US state of Wyoming, which got me dreaming of how gorgeous country interiors can be. I'm definitely a city girl, but would love a house in the country to escape to...

Image via Country Living

Image via It's Mary Ruffle

Image via It's Mary Ruffle

Image via Country Living

Image via Just Be Splendid

Party Inspiration: Ice Cream Parlour Buffet Theme

I found out some wonderful news today - my little sister got engaged, plus she has asked me to be her Maid of Honour! How thrilling!

My mind excitedly skipped ahead for how I would theme her kitchen tea and other pre-wedding celebrations, so it was perfect timing really when I discovered the blog Eat Drink Chic which has lots of DIY party inspiration ideas and tips.

All of the ideas are fantastic, but I was especially blown away by the level of detail designer Amy Moss has put into creating the Ice Cream Parlour theme; it is utterly gorgeous and would be perfect for a wedding, birthday party or kitchen tea. And the good bit? Amy has made it super simple to re-create this theme at home by describing step by step how she went about creating this look and has the labels and signage for you to print out.  Love it!

Rachel xo

Raven & Lamb

I first discovered Raven & Lamb via the Daily Imprint and was immediately smitten with their beautifully designed posters and gift cards.

There are gift cards for all occasions including Christmas, Valentines Day, Birthdays and Thank You's. The gorgeous wall poster range includes bright prints and soft pastels; perfect to spruce up that bare wall in your home!

Stay tuned for their new range of stationery and wraps launching soon.

Rachel xo

Raven and Lamb Wall Posters

Raven and Lamb Gift Cards

Happy Holidays!

Today is my first day of Summer holidays and boy am I excited. I have 2.5 delicious weeks off which I plan enjoy with my gorgeous husband.

Image via We Heart It

 What will I be doing you ask?

Well, there are movies I want to see such as The Lovely Bones, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, Sherlock Holmes.

Plus there are books I want to read:

We will be taking our beloved Charlie to the park lots and visiting our wonderful friends. And of course we will be cooking up a storm! For our wedding, we were blessed with plenty of cooking books, so a lot of eating is to be done.

Most of all I'm looking forward to Christmas tomorrow and spending time with our family, eating, laughing and being very Merry!

I do wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas.

Rachel xx

Lovely Cupcakes!

I will be baking cupcakes this weekend for a pre-Christmas get together with a bunch of old work friends, so in preparation I have been inspiration scouting for my creations.

In my travels I found many so many delicious-looking cupcakes, it will be hard to decide what to bake.

Here is some lovely cupcake inspiration for you to enjoy!

Image via Beauty In Everything

Image via Just Be Splendid

Image via Just Be Splendid

These look the same as the Red Velvet Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, which are simply divine. I wonder if I could pull it off with the colour??

Image by Jenifer Altman

 If I owned a cupcake shop (one day) I would want it to look just like this!

  Via jennysbakeshop @ Etsy

This adorable frame would make a lovely present for Cupcake Lovers.

For You: Cute 2010 Diaries

One of the reasons I look forward to the beginning of a New Year is the prospect of starting a fresh diary. I adore cute diaries - does anyone else love them as much as I do?

Sometimes I have more than one I love so I switch between them throughout the year - weird, I know!
Anyway, here are some of the cutest diaries around, just for you!

1. Kikki.K Cute Diary, $24.95

I love Kikki.K and they never fail to bring out a delicious selection of diaries each year. This one is aptly called the 'Cute Diary". Love.

2. Rebound, Tom Thumb 2010 Diary, $45

Do you remember the Little Golden Books from your childhood? Well these little gems have been created from the original pages of the books. One page from the book is featured for each calendar month so you can enjoy the story throughout the year. The pages are made from 100% recycled paper and have been printed in Australia using vegetable based inks.

3.  Moleskin Daily 12 Colours Diary, $72.95 (AU)

How cool are these Moleskin diaries? I love Moleskin notebooks, and always have several floating around, so I was really excited when I saw these 12 coloured diaries. There is a soft covered book for every month with each month featuring a new colour. They come in a hard bound cover which cases all 12. Gorgeous!

4. Pigeonhole Rainbow Diary, 2010 Ice-Cream, $16 (AU)

This Rainbow Ice-Cream diary is cute as can be. I would love to be whipping this out of my bag! Complete with a daily planner, the Rainbow diary from Australian designers based in Perth, WA is just adorable.

5. Delfonics 2010 A5 Linen Diary, $49.95 (AU)

On the front cover of each of these diaries (they come in 5 delicious colours) are the words  “Ein neues Leben Geschichte” which means in German, A new life story. What a perfect way to start 2010, as a new story. Love.

Have you chosen your diary for next year? With so many choices I predictably will be buying more than one!

Rachel xo

I Heart Audrey Hepburn

How oh how delightful is Audrey Hepburn? Breakfast at Tiffany's and Roman Holiday are two of my favourite movies of all time.

Not only was the lovely Audrey Hepburn a talented actress and extraordinarily stylish, she was also a dedicated humanitarian, shown through her tireless work in her role as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.  I plan to take a leaf out of Ms. Hepburn's book and always believe in miracles.

Via We Heart It

Via Morbid Fashion

Via Red Lips & Icecream

 Via Taking Great Pictures

Via A Series of Serendipities

Only 2 more sleeps until Christmas!

Floral Inspiration: Stylist Anna Last

Hello lovelies. I do hope you have not come down with a terrible case of Mondayitis. In case you have, these beautiful flowers, styled by creative genius Anna Last, will no doubt cheer you up.

7 Ways to Increase Your Feeling of Self Worth

When I discovered the list for 7 ways to increase yourself I had to share it. Enjoy these wonderfully inspiring tips!

 

Image via Tumblr

 

1. Write down 7 minor goals for the week and tick one off each day as you achieve it.
2. Read a book a month.  Reading a book is actually an achievement in this technology and media  driven world and reading a full book is a great way to achieve a sense of accomplishment.
3. At the end of each day before falling asleep write down something you feel proud about, either on the day or in the past.
4. Tell someone else how much you appreciate them, being able to be open and honest is great for self worth.
5. Say no! Learn the skill of saying no without offending the person asking.
6. Everything you do, do to the best of your ability even if it cleaning the toilets or something equally as mundane, develop a reputation as someone who takes pride in their work.
7. Walk tall and proud.  walk as if you’ve got somewhere to go and you need to be there now, never run just walk tall and quickly.
8. Dress as smart as you can for each occasion, whether it be work, meeting a friend, or going for an interview.  Take pride in your appearance.
9. Do something for yourself every day.
10. Learn a new skill or take up something you’ve always wanted to and stick with it.
    

 

(stevenaitchison.co.uk) via Just be Splendid Blog & Pink Lemonade