Guest post for Design and Nonsense!

Yep, two posts from me in one day! Aren't you the lucky ones? ;-)

In around about three weeks, I am off on holiday to Devon; a beautiful part of the UK where I hope to spend the week bodyboarding in the waves and consuming tea and scones! Emphasis on the scones.

Found here.

Mmm yum! Although I'm definitely a jam then cream girl-how about you?

I am hoping to schedule a couple of posts including some tutorials but I would really, really love to have some of you guest posting for me! You could post about anything you wanted, whether that be a crafty tutorial, tasty recipe or just photos that have inspired you, it would be fantastic to have you hosting Design and Nonsense for a day :-)

I am looking for three or four guest posts, so if this sounds like something you'd like to have a go at, why not shoot me an email at DesignAndNonsense@hotmail.co.uk. Feel free to email me your ideas for a post or the whole thing if it's ready to go and I will gladly publish it :-)

I really look forward to hearing from you, lovely bloggers.

Emily

xxx

Tea Party Inspiration

Happy Saturday everyone!

It's two weeks today until my 22nd birthday and to celebrate, I have decided to host a tea party for my friends and I :-) I'm talking the full works here-bunting, pretty cups and saucers, mini sandwiches and baked goods on cake stands-yum!

I've asked my friends to each bring along something they have baked and I plan to go a little baking-crazy the day before so we'll have lots of tasty afternoon tea treats to sample :-)

I'm very excited by this, especially after having the inevitable glance online for ideas and finding SO much inspiration! And being the good blogger that I am, I thought it would only be fair to show you some of the amazing ideas I came across while surfing.

Off we go!

Invitations: (I'm not planning on making invitations as I've used a certain social media site to invite my guests, but I do plan to adapt some of these ideas for menus!)


SO adorable-I love the floral papers used.
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This is definitely my favourite invitation idea. I think the tea bag sachets filled with lavender are lovely.
Found here.


A beautiful and delicate watercolour illustration-very classy and elegant.
Found here.

Food:


I was blown away by these cookies when I first found them! Aren't they incredible?! I think they're probably a little out of my area of expertise but I had to include them!
Found here.


Now this is one recipe I WILL be trying! Such a simple idea but so effective.
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Love love LOVE. Cupcakes in teacups-perfectly presented :-)
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Yummy little sandwiches arranged oh so perfectly!
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Heart-shaped scones are a must-make!
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Decoration:

Anything involving lanterns is a winner with me as you should know by now ;-) I think the bows on the chairs are really sweet.
Found here.


I absolutely want to try this!! Using tent pegs or golf tees, attach balloons filled with helium!
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More lanterns, I know, but I particularly liked the use of roses to decorate.
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Drinks:


How refreshing does this strawberry iced tea look?! Especially with a strawberry to garnish :-)
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I love the use of milk bottles here-very retro!
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We British can't have a garden party without Pimms!
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Centrepieces:


Perfect for a tea party-a tea caddy used as a vase for beautiful flowers.
Found here.

A clever variation of the DIY cake-stand-just stack your plates with upside-down teacups.
Found here.


There is more than one way to use a teapot! Plus, daisies are my favourite weed ;-)
Found here.

I have to say, I'm feeling overwhelmed! I've never thrown a proper party like this and although it will only be for about 10 of us, I have so many ideas running around my mind that I don't know where to start!

I think this calls for a good old-fashioned list :-)

I hope these ideas have inspired you to throw your own tea party! You don't even need an occasion-it's the perfect excuse for a proper girly get-together, in an oh-so-sophisticated kind of way :-)

Have a lovely weekend!

Emily
xxx

An award for Design and Nonsense!

I was having a bit of rubbish day today, feeling down in the dumps and uninspired. The weather is horrible so I couldn't even go outside to do some sanding for my latest DIY projects :-(
I logged on to my Blogger account to find a lovely comment from Jan at City Farmhouse which has cheered me right up-she has nominated me for the Liebster Award!

I had a read about this particular award and this is what it's basically all about:

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.

Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

Isn't that lovely? It's great to see there are attempts being made to get the smaller blogs noticed-it's so difficult when there are so many out there!

In return for my nomination, I need to share five facts about myself, so here you go!

Clockwise from the top left:

1. One of my favourite books is Michelle Magorian's "A Little Love Song". I read this when I was much younger but have loved it ever since.

2. I love typography! I spend far too much time scrolling through font sites! Image found here.

3. My favourite colour is green. I adore all sorts of shades of it from zesty lime to cooling teal :-) Image found here.

4. I LOVE coconut mushrooms! They're probably the most unhealthy sweet I could like but I just can't help myself! Image found here.

5. I dream of having a window seat in my very own library-somwhere I can relax with a good book and a cup of tea for an afternoon, wrapped up in a blanket. Bliss :-) Image found here.

Now to nominate some fellow up-and-coming bloggers! This list is in no particular order :-)

Wishful Thinking

White Winters

Time For Tea

A Simple Thing of Beauty

Through the Looking Glass

If I have nominated you please complete the following 5 steps:

1. Post about your win on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award and follow their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award button to your blog

4. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have fewer than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognised.

5. Let them know by leaving them a comment on their blog.

Make sure you check out the other blogs nominated-they are all fantastic and deserve to be mentioned :-)

Thank you so much again to Jen for nominating me!

Emily

xxx

Pretty Handmade Envelopes

Good morning/afternoon/evening! How are you all?

I've been in a bit of a crafty mood today and, as a result, have a really fun and easy tutorial to share with you that I am SO excited about!

A while back, (almost a year now!) I posted about my hoarding tendencies and how I had a small stash of wallpaper samples that I hadn't the heart to throw away. If I see a pattern or design I like, I can't bear to throw it out because I just know I will always find a use for it.

Guess what? I found a use for my samples! It's such a sweet and unique project and I am really and truly buzzing to show you!

I best get on with it then :-)

Aren't they lovely? The ironic thing is, after making these sweet little envelopes this afternoon, I don't think I could bring myself to use them!

Is there such a thing as decorative envelopes?

Here's how to whip up your own set of unique envelopes, using wallpaper or any other type of paper you might have stashed away :-)

 I really am in love with them and can't wait to make more! I think I'll be jumping online after posting this to order some more wallpaper samples...it's just as well most of them are free!

Actually, that's a good point. This is essentially a no-cost project, unless you want to buy specific papers to use. I think they would make a lovely gift so choosing particular papers would be lovely, especially if they were personal to the receiver :-) Think maps, book pages etc. The sky's the limit with this project!

So that's my crafty contribution to the day. Hopefully I have inspired you in some way-if I have, I'd love to hear about it :-) I never tire of hearing from you lovely readers, so get typing!

Have amazing weekends!

Emily

xxx  

Time For Tea!

I have just discovered, via The Perfect Pear, the most amazingly talented lady!!

The Perfect Pear's Lauren is currently holding a giveaway where the lucky winner will receive one of Time For Tea's Fruit Tart rings:

How amazing does that look?!

I'm a sucker for beads of any kind-put me in a bead shop and I'll be out of your hair for hours!! I look upon a bead shop as my Aladdin's cave :-)

I was having a fairly rubbish day today, so stumbling across Time For Tea on Etsy has really and truly cheered me up!

The very talented lady I mentioned is Jessica Sharpe and she creates the most darling sweet-themed beads and jewellery. Just look at these candy jar necklaces:

 

Aren't they the absolute CUTEST things you've ever come across?! I'm totally smitten! They are by far my favourite, I might even have to treat myself when I get paid :-D

This candy charm bracelet looks as if it's come straight from Willy Wonka's chocolate factory! How cute is the donut?

Vanilla ice cream earrings-PERFECT for Summer :-)

These cake beads look so tasty! Like they should actually taste of strawberries, even if they are made of Polymer clay!

I apologise if it seems I've gone overboard with the exclamation points but this calls for a special allowance if you ask me! There are so many other tasty-looking goodies on Jess' Etsy page-it's 100% worth having a peek.

Be warned: don't peruse while you're hungry!! ;-)

Emily

xxx

Trend of the Month: Coastal

Hello friends! How are you all today? :-)

I hope you're in the mood for something summery because the Trend of the Month for June is coastal!

Now, I decided to set this theme a while back because it's a style I adore, especially for bathrooms and outside entertainment spaces. There's nothing more calming and relaxing than the gentle shades of the beach, particularly nice to chill out in the bath with!

So you can imagine my surprise and excitement when this month's subscription of "Country Homes and Interiors" dropped through my letterbox, with this cover:

I'll admit, I was a little bit annoyed since I'd already settled on the coastal idea before seeing the mag, but I decided to stick with it and use the magazine as even further inspiration!

I think the line "Over 60 pags of sea-air style" won me over :-)

I have to say, I'm really loving the coral trend at the moment! It puts a whole other spin on the soft beachy look and the bright orangey-reds create a lovely contrast with the watery blues and neutrals.

But with so many beautiful beach-themed interiors to share, where do I start?!

Washing:

Found here.

Found here.

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A very novel way of displaying beachy souvenirs you may have collected over the years. The rest of the decor is simple but the bits and bobs speak a thousand words all on their own.

Dining:

Found here.

I was struck by the seating and light fixture in this room-I can't help thinking they look a lot like sea urchins!

Found here.

This is such a fun, retro way of decorating beach-style! To me, it's like a vintage beach-side cafe; the perfect place to eat your fish and chips :-)

Found here.

I really do adore the colouring used for this dining area. There isn't a lot of it but it's just enough to bring the space to life.

Sleeping:

Found here.

Found here.

The turquoise accents in this bedroom paired with just a hint of yellow work really well together. I like that the walls and flooring have been kept plain to allow the decoration in the room to speak for itself.

Living:

Found here.
Very much in love with the long, blue coral cushion used to decorate the couch here!

Country Homes and Interiors June 2012

The various coral prints used in this room are lovely-especially those on the curtains. There's plenty of detail to keep your interest but, at the same time, the room looks clean and spacious.

Found here.

Outdoor Spaces:

Found here.

Country Homes and Interiors

I really like the use of a day bed as outside seating. It gives a great sense of relaxation and, of course, is a fantastic excuse to put together a gorgeous selection of cushions!

I am now feeling a rather overwhelming desire to find a gorgeous beach house in need of some TLC, so that I might wave my DIY wand across it and steal some of these beautiful ideas! Just look at some of those ocean views too!

If you're interested in seeing further interiors that inspire me, you might want to pop on over to my Pinterest page where I spend an indecent amount of my time pinning all sorts of beautiful DIY and decor ideas. Also, feel free to like my Facebook page where you can keep even more up-to-date with my posts :-)

As always, I really do love to hear from you, especially if you have created your own coastal-inspired room/house/space!

I'm participating in Race For Life tomorrow evening, so please keep your fingers crossed for sun! And if you are feeling generous, I would greatly appreciate any donations to continue raising money for Cancer Research UK, such a very worthy cause :-) Here is my fundraising page: Skinny Minnies! Thank you very much :-)

I hope you all have a good week-make sure to check back soon for more exciting tutorials!

Happy Tuesday :-)

Emily
xxx

DIY Saturday-Jewellery Edition

I'm very excited today as the materials for my latest DIY project have arrived!!

I won't say too much about it as it will be a gift and I don't want to ruin the surprise if the lucky person happens to read this...let's just say it involves a bevel-edged wooden plaque and some printable vinyl.

I can't wait to get going on it! And of course, I will be posting the tutorial very soon after :-)

So for June's edition of "DIY Saturday" I thought I would go for a jewellery theme. I've always loved making jewellery, since I was around 12 or 13 I think, so what better theme to have this month!

(By the way, how are you guys finding the theme "DIY Saturdays"? Do you like them better than the non-themed posts? I just felt like having a theme adds a little extra interest and structure, but let me know what you think! I'm always, always happy to hear from you :-)

Right. On to the projects. Because I know you're all on the edges of your seats with anticipation!!

Found here.

This is a really simple idea with a cute result! Just take ribbon and beads and get nifty with your needle :-)

Found here.

I came across this adorable mini book necklace on my friend Cat's blog One Hand in My Pocket a while back. Isn't it just so perfect?!

Found here.

A gorgeous tutorial for a pearl collar necklace-very on-trend right now.

Found here.

I really do love anything involving the recycling of bookpages and this bracelet is no exception. A perfect homemade gift for the bookworm friend!

Found here.

I love love LOVE this bunting necklace! Show me anything bunting-related and I'm head-over-heels!

Found here.

How cute is this seahorse necklace?! This is created using plastic and nail polish, would you believe!

Found here.

This great tutorial creates a gorgeous necklace using tulle and glass beads.

Found here.

I'm in love with these thimble flower pot pendants! Very simple to do too :-) Definitely will be making some of these!

Found here.

This is actually the tutorial I used for my own Fabric Flower Necklace but I thought it would be a bit cheeky to post mine on a round-up I'm hosting! This is a no-sew tutorial so very good for you sew-phobic people ;-)

Found here.

A lovely bracelet tutorial involving pearl trim and wool.

Oh wow, I still can't get over how amazing these projects are! It always comes down to me wishing there were more hours in the day to try them all out! I will definitely be trying the miniature book and thimble flower pot necklaces when I get a chance :-)

What will you be trying?

Happy Saturday!

Emily

xxx