Bloggers | Inspiration 2016

Most of my blogging motivation comes from reading amazing blogs or seeing something beautiful while I am out on adventures. I'd love to share these with you and hope you find as much joy from them as I do. Please note all images below are from their respective blogs, I had never noticed before how similar their logos were either, clearly all very creative types!

Being Little is written by Lyzi, a lass residing in the South West of England. She posts beautiful outfit posts which never conform to the restrictions of current trends. It always feels like she has found a fresh new look whenever her outfit posts come up. Fashion aside she is eloquent with her writing and has an eye for stunning interior design, a great example is her latest post 'Living Room Lust'. If you love high quality photography with fun fashion Being Little is a wonderful blog to scroll through. 

A Rosie Outlook is written by Rosie, hailing from Bournemouth she posts photographs of her fitness, fashion, food, travel and life posts. One of my favourite things about Rosie is she posts about real life issues and mindfulness, I believe I found the Lively Podcast through her blog in which intention based living is a key topic. Although her photographs are always beautiful I find myself even more captivated by the way she writes, as if you're old friends and she has a lot to catch up on with you. If you enjoy variety in blog posts then I highly recommend Rosie's blog.

On Serpentine Shores is my favourite blog for travel eye candy. Written by Alex, it features her adventures around Cornwall which is a place I went on holiday as a child and loved very much. Alex posts outfits but it never feels like an outfit post, more like a scene from a film with a beautiful country setting. The whole atmosphere of her posts and her blog in general are very natural and peaceful, like finding a beautiful book on a shelf in a bookstore then discovering it is a story which captivates you until the end. If you're into Poldark style visuals with content which fulfils every time then Alex's blog is for you.

Stationery | Washi Tape Selection

The shops here seem to sell washi tape as if it is laced with gold at often up to £8 a roll, this is fine but for decoration my journal I didn't need anything ridiculously expensive. I found these tapes on Ali Express and they were barely £1 each, they have 10m on a roll according to the packaging. The designs are amazing, ranging from fresh leaves and flowers to cartoon style sushi rolls. I find these tapes great for creating borders and tabs or for creating collage. It is easy to carry small amounts around in a pencil case or journal by wrapping around a plastic card, I used plastic from the packaging of my candle holders.

Interiors | Zelkova Bonsai & Marie Kondo's Spark Joy

As part of my attempt to create a more 'Zen' environment to live and work in I've purchased a Bonsai tree, adding fresh leaves and beautiful shapes to my very neutral room. I've always been fascinated with Bonsai trees as they look remarkably like ancient trees and require care which adds a meaningful task to the day.

I also found these adorable fox bookends to keep my books tidy. I'd been looking for something very simple but these were in the garden centre for half their price. Much of my ornaments are of wildlife so these fit in perfectly and again add a splash of colour.

On another matter this little book is quite famous right now, Spark Joy by Marie Kondo (Author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying). The book gives a deep insight into Marie's tidying method which she calls the KonMari method. Inside are answers to questions about the best way to fold and store clothing, the order in which you can find best success in organising belongings and which possessions you should discard. Although there are many books on the matter Marie has a real flare for instilling passion into those that read them. I had already started clearing out objects that no longer served their purpose to me then this book came along and now I could decide what really brings me joy and make my room a cozy and calming place.

Tutorial | Make a Box Pencil Case

The past few days I've been considering getting a little leather style pencil case as I am smitten with this shape of case. Every time I thought I'd found the one I just didn't want to part with the cash, thus why I thought making one would be interesting. As I am awaiting a Royal Stewart Hobonichi zipper case for my journal it seemed fitting to make something tartan (Black Watch). I've made this a little tutorial to share with you all.

One | Fabric
Choose a fabric which suits your needs, remember if it has a huge pattern you will only see a small amount. The amount of fabric you'll need is up to you but I went with 26x16cm which is just right to fit my pens in. This size accommodates about 15 of these Uni Pin fine liners.

Two | Equipment
Sewing Machine - You can sew by hand but it will take a fairly long time
Zipper Foot for machine - This isn't essential it does help keep stitches closer to zip though
Scissors - The sharper the better
Pins
Tailors Chalk - Normal chalk or a white pencil may suffice
Ruler/Set Square
Thread
Patience
Zip - Remember to consider which length you want your case, I went with 14cm but likely could have gotten away with a 12cm.

Three | Mark Out & Cut
After ironing your fabric mark out the size you want, I used a set square to make sure it was an even rectangle. Don't be too precious about the lines as you'll be cutting them and they will be concealed seams. Cut along your lines.

Four | Attaching Zip

With the fabric pattern facing up place the zipper with the zip facing down on the edge of the fabric so the top edge of the fabric meets the top edge of the zip and pin these together.

As you can see above you need to make sure you have an even amount of extra zip either side. I added interface to the back of my fabric to add structure but in hindsight I highly recommend you don't. Now pull the end which isn't pinned upwards toward the zip, again pinning the patterned side to the front side of the zip.

When you go to sew the zip make sure there is only one layer of fabric and the zip under the foot, this can be done by tucking the rest of the case out to the left. The zipper foot will allow you to sew neatly next to the zip without going over it. Sew all the way down the zip then remove the case from your machine, trimming loose threads and do the other side of the zip.

If you turn your case inside out it will look like this now. You can press the fabric beside the zip to make it look neater and then open the zip so you can top-stitch to add a refine finish to the outside (shown below). 

The Tricky Bit 

Now this bit is fairly tricky, you need to tuck the sides into themselves so you have a flat surface underneath and on the zip but the sides have a pleat in them. It was really difficult to visualise this with photos but this is it with the side tucked in below. You need to do this on both sides, like the sides of a paper bag.

Pin the ends so the pleats stay and then sew roughly 1cm from the edge horizontally across so that your zip will be sealed (please ensure your zip is not past these pins before you sew or when you cut off this zip excess your case won't work). 

Now you can unzip it and turn it inside out again to reveal your finished case. Voila! Apologies if any of this was unclear, I had quite a bit of trouble with lighting as I did this in the evening but wanted to share the method with you. I hope you enjoy making one too.

Stationery | TOMBOW Ladies Pen in Orange

I stumbled upon a little store on Magdalen Street in Norwich yesterday which I'd never been in but walked by so many times. In the store there was an eclectic selection of goods, with small stock levels of a variety of general office stationery. While looking in a little cabinet I spotted this quirky white box with scalloped edges with that familiar TOMBOW logo and this excited my interests. The sweet little man working in the store got it out for me and as I opened the box a beautiful bright orange leather case appeared with a copper orange pen with silver details inside.

The size of the pen was ideal, it is about three inches long and has a ballpoint nib which extends out when you pull at the silver top. It fits snuggly into the leather case which has a luxury feel and a strap which adjusts and fits around my notebooks perfectly. I'm so pleased with this and it only cost me £5, when checking Amazon I noticed it retails for almost £40!

The pen is available to buy here.

Shopping | Norwich Guide | Elm Hill

Elm Hill is a picturesque street in the heart of Norwich that still has most of its original 16th Century buildings. Although much of it is residential there are a handful of restaurants, antique stores, craft shops and galleries. The quirky shop windows allow an enjoyable browse, filled with intriguing objects like stamps, traditional teddy bears and toys, board games and even cats (in the gallery windows).

I remember as a child going to the bear shop with my family, wishing I could take every bear home with me and it still gives me flutters going by there. I was lucky enough to go to university around the corner from here, it was a real treat to wander down here and get inspiration. If you visit Norwich be sure to take a walk along this street for the feel of a real English heritage treasure.

Shopping | Kate Spade Takeout Cup

Recently I bid farewell to one of my favourite take out cups and felt at a loss without the ability to have a drink on the go. This Kate Spade cup caught my eye a few weeks back, with a shiny metallic ring pattern with a cream lid and base it looked so chic and not too over the top. I've always appreciated Kate Spade's ability to be sophisticated but also bold without printing the brand name massively over it like other brands.

Now I can have guilt free take out coffee and this was £16 from Jarrold's of Norwich.