Friday 28 July 2017

There's No Place Like Home

My homemade cushions.

The gallery wall I never found the final frame for! 

The chair I painted with my mum (it's coming to the new house)

A DIY tassel garland.
My ever changing picture ledge.



My favourite place.


So the time has finally come for me to move into my new home and I am so sad to leave this one behind. I never moved as a child and I grew up in a house and a neighbourhood I loved (ok the tears are starting to flow already as I try to write this).

My bedroom was a gift to me on my second birthday and it has been my favourite place ever since. That room was pink, grey and white on my second birthday and it's funny how things come full circle and it's back to a similar colour scheme now. I'll always remember my white furniture with pink handles, the walls had prints framed in pink and I had a giant ladybird floor cushion, and also that mirror that you see me share my outfits in on Instagram. That is the one piece that has always remained in my bedroom through it's many changes.

It has been blue and yellow, bright purple and covered in posters and turned into a display room full of Sylvanian Families with just space for a bed to name a few. 

But my favourites will always be that original room and how it is right now, my perfect girly space. 
I've been finding it hard to take certain pieces out of the room because I want it to be the same when I come back but I also want the pieces in my new place so it feels more homely and I've always been a pretty indecisive person so this hasn't been easy for me haha.

I have so many happy memories from this house to take with me that I can cherish forever. It's going to be so strange waking up in the mornings and not walking down the same road I have done for years to go to school and then to work, and no longer coming home to our front garden to check on the daily progress of the peony plants and to my cozy bedroom. 

There are so many things I had planned to write in this post but emotions always get the better of me and I struggle to type all the things I want to say.
I know that this house is not far from where I am moving and I'll be back to visit my parents before I even know it (and probably to pick up some things I have forgotten to pack) but I will miss it and my family so much.

I am looking at all the good things about the new place though, a chance to have an entire house decorated the way I would like and my own walk in closet and a chance to make a new home with someone I love very much, although this one here will never be forgotten.


"Home, a place your feet may leave, but your heart will always be"



Tuesday 25 July 2017

Insta Outfits

Primark Cardigan // Nordstrom Tee // Gap Jeans // Baublebar Necklace 


Gap Dress // Carvela Flats // Zara Bag (similar)

Zara Dress (identical one here) // Forever 21 Flats // Zara Bag (similar)


Banana Republic Dress / Dorothy Perkins Heels // SS Print Shop Phone Case 

I haven't had a chance to shoot many outfit posts lately and most of the time I have been living in paint covered jeans and old tees whilst I have been decorating, but I have been posting over on my Instagram (@spark1988) when I have put on some real clothes for a few hours. So here's a little round up of some outfits I wore in May & June, and I'll share some more from July soon!   


SHOP THE POST 


Friday 21 July 2017

Stacey's Smiles

A sweet personalised lemon iPhone case from Shop Pinku.

A Birthday afternoon tea with my mum and sister! 

Trying to decide on prints to hang above the new bed Prints from SS Print Shop & Annawithlove.

My newest books thanks to my mum and birthday wishlist! 

Roses from my sweet guy.

Happy Friday Again! I am so pleased that I have managed to blog for two weeks in a row haha, let's see if I can make it three. 
I am about to head into a week of 'lasts' as I prepare to move next weekend. I am a mixed bag of emotions right now, but I cannot wait to start this new adventure! 


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Wednesday 19 July 2017

Travel Diaries: Sorrento, Italy



I thought I would finally share some snaps that weren't from my iPhone from our trip to Sorrento last May (yes I know that was 14 months ago haha, but it's nice to reminisce.

This trip was actually Sean's birthday gift from the year before that and Sorrento was his choice and he couldn't have picked a better city for us to take our first trip abroad! 

I'll share a few of the places we visited and ate but unfortunately I must have picked up a bug just before we left as I got sick the day after we arrived and Sean had the same thing a few days later so we didn't get to do as much as we hoped (like take a boat to Capri), that's a good excuse to go back though! 


We flew from Gatwick to Naples airport and had transfers included to Sorrento. The drive along the coast line is pretty beautiful though so don't be tempted to nap the whole drive haha! 

Sorrento was a lovely city to just wander around luckily, as when we weren't feeling too good we didn't want to venture far. The first thing I noticed was the size of the lemons, they were the biggest I have ever seen! I loved just taking a walk and stopping for some gelato and popping into the local stores filled with lemon goodies.  

Herculaneum

We took a guided tour to Herculaneum one morning to visit some of the ancient ruins. It was so fascinating to see how well persevered a lot of the town is! Although it is a much smaller site than Pompeii (which we didn't make it to) there was plenty to see and I would recommend going on a tour as the guide we had taught as so much about Herculaneum and it's history.

Stunning Views of Mount Vesuvius 

Views hiking up Mount Vesuvius

If you have time take a jeep trip up Mount Vesuvius and hike the last part, the views are breathtaking and you might even spy some steam escaping inside the mouth of the volcano as Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano, and over due an eruption we were told! Again we had a lovely tour guide for our trip which also including wine tasting and lunch on a vineyard on the side of Mount Vesuvius, and of course some wine made it home in my suitcase. 

Piazza Tasso

The centre of Sorrento was just a short walk from our hotel and was great spot for some people watching. You'll also find plenty of little streets off here filled with cafes and shops.

The bag that was featured in Monday's blog post was a purchase from a store called Gloves Concetta Pane and if you are looking for some affordable Italian leather goods then make sure to pop into this store, they have a huge selection of colourful bags in all different styles and their prices are a lot better than a lot of other Italian cities.

I also had my heart set on getting a pair of made to measure leather sandals. There are a few stores around Sorrento that sell them (and in Capri and Positano too) but I ended up getting a pair from La Conchiglia, where I had a hard time picking out a style but went for a classic Positano style after the sweet man that made the sandals suggested them from the pairs I narrowed my choices down to. 

Marina Grande

There isn't a single spot in Sorrento that has a bad view, you will never tire of these I promise you. The coastlines are amazing and you can take in the views of the neighbouring islands and Mount Vesuvius from one of the Marinas. Marina Piccolo is where you can catch a boat out to Capri or Ischia and Marina Grande is filled with some amazing seafood restaurants.  

Which brings me to some of the places we ate during our stay. 

I stopped in many Gelato stores on our trip but my favourite was Antica Gelateria Sorrentina, they didn't have the biggest selection of Gelato in Sorrento but every flavour I had was delicious and it was our nightly stop on our way back from dinner.

If you're looking for a good traditional Neapolitan pizza then Pizzeria Franco is where you need to head. There is nothing fancy about the set up here (you pizza is served on big metal trays and with plastic cutlery) but you get a real taste for the flavour of the pizza dough and the simple toppings. Pizza made how it should be in my opinion.

We Love Puro is a perfect place to stop for lunch and they also have some yummy gelato flavours and some giant swings you can sit on!

The picture below was the setting for our dinner at Ristorante O'Puledrone. You won't find a more romantic setting for a sunset dinner than sitting right by the ocean with views of Mount Vesuvius in front of you. This was the best meal I had on our trip hands down and one of the freshest pieces of fish I have ever tasted. Everything is caught fresh that day and you can tell. If we go back
 to Sorrento we would love to try out PortaMarina Seafood

Ristorante 'O Parrucchiano is a little hidden gem in the middle of Sorrento, from the outside this place doesn't look too special but as soon as you walk in you realise that you are in a huge green house surrounded by lemon trees and fairy lights (I have a weakness for fairy lights). This restaurant can sit a huge number of people between the green house and the gardens and if you pre-book a table they'll leave some beautiful flowers on your table! Oh and the lemon profiteroles are a must. 


We also found this orange and lemon grove right by our hotel which was such a peaceful place to walk around. 

There is so many things we didn't get to do on our trip like go for a swim in this stunning looking lagoon, a boat trip to Capri, a tour of Pompeii and exploring more of the Amalfi Coast so we would love to head back to this part of Italy in the future. We did make it out to Positano for a morning and I will share that in another post soon! 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my recommendations for Sorrento and if you have any questions I'll try and answer them. I'd love to know if you have been and have any other places we should head to if we go back again, leave a comment below if you do :) 



Monday 17 July 2017

A Perfectly Pink Sewing Project

Handmade Dress // Dune Sandals // Primark Sunglasses // Baublebar Bracelet //
DKNY Watch // Baublebar Rings // Bag from Sorrento (similar) // Pinku iPhone Case

If you were stopping by my blog 3 years ago you may remember I went to a sewing class here in Suffolk because I wanted to learn a new skill. Will two years later I decided to go back to Spinney Brook Workbox and try my hand at something a little more complex! 

I had seen this blog post over on Gal Meets Glam earlier last year and fell in love with Julia's dress, but unfortunately it had sold out. So when my sister told me she wanted to go back and learn some dress making skills I already knew in my head what I wanted to create! I found the pattern in a local sewing shop and the fabric (which sadly does wrinkle quite easily) on Etsy, after hours of hunting for the perfect size check.

This time we went for two days of sewing with Elizabeth and my dress came home almost complete, I just had to sew the buttons on. This dress was not the easiest to make and there is no way I could have made it on my own, but I learnt so many sewing skills from pattern cutting to button holes and collars. My favourite thing about the dress (and a requirement when I was looking for patterns) is that it has pockets. 

As we didn't go for our sewing class until the end of September I have been eagerly awaiting this summer to roll around so I could start wearing this dress non stop. I am so happy with how it turned out and pretty proud that I managed to make something wearable. My next project to tackle on my own is a simple skirt so hopefully I will find that easy! 

If you are looking for a sewing class in Suffolk then you should contact Elizabeth at Spinney Brook, she has bunch of project classes if you don't have an idea in mind and just want to learn to sew or she is more than happy to help you with your own project, perfect for beginners or someone who wants to try out something a little more adventurous!  

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