Weekend Recommends

Hello Hello


what have you got planned for the weekend? I'm heading north to visit friends in Manchester which will be lovely and hopefully restful - for some reason this January is tiring me right out. 


If you don't have plans and fancy a trip to the cinema, you have to see Black Swan - I highly recommend it. I've never been that into ballet, but this film is beautiful - and very dark indeed. Check out the gorgeous slightly retro artwork below;

Images by La Boca

Natalie Portman is brilliant and the film is gripping (and a bit kooky). 
Go see it - and then check out my Black Swan or White Swan? Treasury List on Etsy - just for fun (i've been a bit addicted to Treasury again this week!)


Have a great weekend
L. x

Happy Occasions - coming soon!

Polaroid by Jennifer Evans

Just a little note to mention a new feature I am working on for the blog. 


Whilst planning my wedding in 2009, I surprised myself - and my family - by getting heavily addicted to wedding blogs, in fact, that is probably the point at which I really started to take notice of blogs and find so many amazing ideas and inspirations online. It wasn't so much ogling dresses and shoes that got me hooked, but more, looking at the amazing design elements and creative touches people had brought to their happy occasions.


To me, parties and celebrations of all kinds provide an opportunity to indulge my creative side and pay attention to all the little details I love. My wedding was no exception, and thanks to all the amazing inspiration from fabulous blogs such as Green Wedding Shoes, Once Wed, Style Me Pretty and of course Martha Stewart, I was able to indulge - in fact - make that over-indulge - my creative side to the max! 


This creative event design bug shows no signs of disappearing and since lots of my friends and family have been doing the wedding thing lately, I've been able to bore them with lots of ideas and suggestions gleaned from all kinds of blogs - I love the way everyone shares their DIY projects and ideas - yay!


So, hopefully, with a little help from my (super creative and gorgeous) friends, I'll be starting a new Happy Occasions feature really soon - maybe they will even let me share a few little snippets from their happy days too.......


Until I get started with the feature, here's a little something to whet your appetite. Inspired by an image I came across on Martha Stewart Weddings, of beautiful flowers, simply arranged in vintage tea tins, I used the same idea and collected tins, bottles and teapots which my fabulous florist friend Louise filled with beautiful blooms. Unfortunately I can't seem to find a great pic right now, but you get the idea....

Some of my beautiful wedding flowers in a just seen vintage tin

Vintage tins have such a nice charm about them - I was always obsessed with my Granny's button tin when I was little, and remember this moment in Amelie (gorgeous gorgeous film) when she finds the tin full of treasures? Lovely!

Image from Amelie via Esmarelda's Quiet Life blog

In honour of the humble tin - here's a new list I curated on Etsy  - These are a few of my favourite tins!

Hope you enjoy - look out for the new Happy Occasions feature coming soon.
L. x

Wise words, grey days and sunny delights

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. 

Hans Christian Andersen

Morning all! 


Sorry its been a while since my last post but I was finishing a big piece of work that made me want to step away from the computer and take a looooong break! 


Looking out my window, today is a really grey day, but by happy coincidence, I curated a new Etsy treasury list last night which should bring a little sunshine to your day. Here are a few of my favourite picks below....

Summer by Cassia Beck Click here for Etsy shop

Sunny Enamel Teapot from Crumblehouse on Etsy

Super Lovely Parakeet Purse by FA2u on Etsy

Print by The Big Harumph on Etsy

What do you think? Gorgeous things eh? I decided I definitely need more yellow in my life! You can find the full list of Sunny Delights right here  - enjoy!


I definitely can't wait for lighter, brighter days and a bit of sun, but - and maybe its something to do with being English - I do love a bit of weather - the more dramatic the better - so here are some more wise words from John Ruskin, who, in my book, has a very good point!


Have a lovely day.
L. x

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; 

there is really no such thing as bad weather, 

only different kinds of good weather. 

John Ruskin

Wise Words

Polaroid by the fabulous Jennifer Evans

Hello people

If you read my blog post earlier about daydreams, maybe that's got you thinking and maybe you're not dreaming of hot tubs, sailing boats or log cabins like me, but maybe you have a dream about work, or a hope for your future, big or small?  Well, here are some wise words from a lady who, it seems, spoke a lot of them (thanks Lovely D for pointing me to this. xx)

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

 Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Keep in mind at all times.

Happy Wednesday

L. x 

Midweek Daydreams: Cabin Fever Part 1 & Part 2

Happy Wednesday lovelies! Are you having a tough week? Even if its not that tough, don't you find you get a bit of a slump around this time of the week and need a little something nice to get you to the weekend? Well, I reckon even people doing their dream job might need a little daydream to get them past the midweek mark, so here are two of my current imaginary escapes........ where - or what - are you dreaming of?

Cabin Fever part 1: dreaming of the high seas

Photo via Sailing Holidays Ltd

This time last year, I had already booked a summer holiday (i'm never normally that organised but it was a birthday present!). After months of waiting, at the end of June 2010, we set sail in our own little boat (well, it was ours for the week) on a flotilla holiday booked with Sailing Holidays Ltd. It was the most amazing, terrifying, invigorating and wonderful holiday I think I have ever been on, and if money was no object, I would be booking to go again right now. Alas, I'm not sure i'll be living it up as a salty sea dog this year, so instead, I'll be getting my fix by checking in with the theblackwind2010 - a very very entertaining blog written by my good friend's brother, who is undertaking a fairly epic voyage right now. I'm lovin' his work and wishing I was there too!

Cabin Fever Part 2: A real secret hideaway

If turquoise seas and sunshine aren't your thing, how about this for a getaway worth daydreaming about?

Image via Trip Advisor

The High Cabin in Wales is a secret self catering cabin in stunning surroundings (check out the view from that hot tub - take me there now!)

For some reason lately - maybe its just London life getting the better of me - I've been fantasizing about escaping to my own little secret log cabin. I think the one in my imagination was maybe a little more rustic, but i'm just upgrading my daydream now i've seen this one! The website info says; 'The High Cabin is easy to find. But only if you know the way.' - you pick up a map and keys at The Groes Inn Hotel where you check in for your stay, and then - the adventure begins! Cool eh? If I ever get the chance to go, I'll be sure to write a review.

Hope this was enough to spark a few daydreams for you - roll on the weekend. x

Etsy fun!

Hello hello, happy sunday! Feeling slightly guilty today since I spent rather too many hours messing about on Etsy getting to grips with the site and making a couple of treasury lists........

In case you're not familiar with Etsy, or its Treasury feature, the lists are basically an online wish list which you can either keep to yourself or share with the etsy community (much more fun to share I say!). You can create a list on any theme and my head is already full of ideas so this could become a regular feature....

You simply copy the url of each item you want to add to your list and paste it into a little box, and hey presto, an image of your chosen item appears!

Speaking of 'hey presto' - I decided to create one treasury list inspired by my lovely James Brown print which graces my living room wall.

Entitled The Magician's Assistant, its a selection of magic show inspired items  - I had so much fun making the list - its like playing personal shopper for an imaginary character! Here are just a few of the gorgeous items I selected; 

I want this dress!  Image from Violenza's etsy shop

Print by Blanca Gomez  - click here for her etsy shop

Image from belle and boo etsy shop

Image from susieandlillie etsy shop

Although happymarket blog is NOT all about shopping, I must admit, this could become an addictive new pastime - its a bit like being personal shopper/magazine editor and window shopper all in one go and does somehow manage to reduce the temptation to splurge on the high street (although I have seen a good few things I could happily purchase!)


So, fun times on etsy and although there's definitely a guilt factor, I'm just going to consider it as business research time in the run up to launching my own happymarket etsy shop! I can't wait..... wonder if anyone will put my stuff in their treasury??


More soon!
L. x

Yay for the happymarket!

Well folks, its time to make a start on a new venture, something i've been thinking of for a while, but as illustrated by this advice from a course I attended at the really quite fabulous school of life this week, there's no time like the present!

'act your way - rather than reflecting your way - into change'

In other words, time to stop sitting around thinking about it and just get on with it. Sound advice.

I'll be needing a good dose of this!  Image via packaging blog

So, welcome to my happymarket blog, it will be a place to share ideas, treasures, beautiful pics, inspiration and splendid finds. In time, I will also be launching the happymarket store on etsy, and who knows where else! Despite the name, life's definitely not all about shopping and I will do my best to make sure this blog does not simply feed that hungry consumer beast we all seem to have inside us. Grrrrr.

I'm not the most tech savvy girl so please excuse any hiccups - hopefully things will improve along the way...

Yay for the happymarket! Wish me luck!

L. x