A month of Lovely: Oct/Nov

Argh! The last few months have been full on as I've been busy with various work projects. The latest issue of 91 Magazine published in October and we released the second free e-zine in November. Plus I've been working on a picture research project as well as doing some training for a new company I'm going to be working with in the new year (can't wait to tell you more about that!) So my Month of Lovely post is actually an update on the past two months this time! 

Copenhagen trip - We had our first child-free trip away at the start of October with three nights in Copenhagen. It was SUCH a great trip, just two parents (adults!) getting to do whatever we wanted! There was a lot of shopping, eating, drinking and sleeping which I wrote all about in this guide. I brought a few bits and bobs back with me, but with baggage allowances on the flight it was restricted to small items, like this Normann Copenhagen ruler and some black bulldog clips!  

91 Magazine latest issue - As I mentioned, at the start of October, we released the brand new issue of the magazine. I think it's my favourite yet, although I'm not sure if I'll always feel like that when the new one comes out! Lots of other people have said this though, and it is the fastest-selling one so far! I'm already down to less than 200 in stock. The new e-zine came out in November too which only goes to our newsletter subscribers (sign up here!), and is a lovely quick read for lunchtime or over a cuppa. We are already hard at work on the SS18 issue now! 

We won an award! - You may have heard via social media, but excitingly we scooped the award for Best Interior Magazine Blog at the Amara Blog Awards in October! I was honestly so shocked as we were up against some other really well known magazines, so I really was thrilled to be recognised for the work we put into the 91 Magazine blog. This lovely marbled award is now pride of place in my office! 

Renovation progress - We'd had a bit of a lull in house progress since doing a couple of the bedrooms, but we've since found motivation again and are currently in progress or planning of a few different projects. We began stripping the hideous textured wallpaper that was covering about 50% of the house through the hall, landings and stairs. It's going to be a slow job as there is SO much wall to cover, but it's gradually being painted along with trying to decide on a paint colour for the front door! We've also ordered the tiles in this pic for our little side entrance porch. It's where my hubby often puts his bike and sometimes the buggy is in there, so the walls can get quite dirty, so I think tiling them will be easier to keep clean. Finally, we are trying to plan the kitchen overhaul, but it's proving more pricey than we'd hoped, so I'm currently trying to work out how to get the costs down while still getting close to the dream kitchen! Some of my ideas for it are here, oh and if you missed my post about what we've done to the house in our first year here, you can catch up on that here too. 

Supporting indies - I'm always keen to shop with indies where I can - recently I've been to my fave shop in Surrey - &Hobbs - where this little plant came from, and bought a gorgeous handmade necklace to wear to the blog awards from Nook of the North. I've also been checking out a brand new indie magazine by crafting extraordinaire Lisa Comfort. It is a quarterly mini-mag (25 pages) featuring sewing and craft projects as well as Lisa's tips on places to visit and people to discover. Initially I thought it was quite expensive at £14.99 for the printed version, but I understand this is due to the fact it comes with a Sew Over It (Lisa's shop) sewing pattern which are usually around £15. Wth Christmas around the corner, I've been trying to buy my gifts from indies where possible and have ordered things from Julia Staite, The Gray Store, The Hambledon, Maison Philou and Little Citizens Boutique.

That's all my news for now, but don't forget to join in with A Month of Lovely by tagging your lovely moments with #amonthoflovely on Instagram! I will share some faves on here soon! 

September: A Month of Lovely

It's been a super busy few weeks with getting the new AW17 issue of 91 Magazine to print, I'm SO excited for you to see it! It is definitely feeling much more autumnal right now and I'm quite enjoying wearing cosy jumpers and lighting more candles... here's what else has been making my month lovely...

Wintery foliage - I was actually working on a Christmas related feature for In The Moment magazine so was using this gorgeous eucalyptus, and it reminded me how much I love this kind of foliage in the house - in vases, made in to wreaths, even just taped to the wall! I will be stocking up on this in the coming months I'm sure. 

Candle love - I love candles any time of the year, but the darker mornings and evenings obviously call out for more of this comforting light. This little beauty is from Arum London - natural wax candles, hand-poured in London with super luxe branding. Mine is Fig and Cassis and smells divine. 

Copenhagen planning - I am VERY excited about my birthday trip to Copenhagen next week! I've wanted to visit Scandinavia for a long time, and it is just myself and the hubby going, so it will be wall to wall eating, sleeping and shopping - and this lovely book is going to tell us the best places to do those things! Well, we already know where we are sleeping - a lovely Air BNB in Frederiksberg - but otherwise we haven't made any plans. I just need to find some time to sit down and actually read the book! All Copenhagen tips welcome!

Plywood decor -  I am still totally obsessed with plywood. I've written about plywood bedrooms and I've shown you my plywood book shelf and I've got a plywood kitchen post coming up! I also added lots of plywood elements to Ruby's new bedroom. This lovely laurel leaf from LaLa Loves Decor is the latest addition and is so beautifully made - it'll be popping up in another bedroom makeover very soon! 

Happy and Co tea towels - There is something particularly pleasant about a product arriving in a drawstring bag. It's the small things in life, don't you think?! It does it for me anyway! :) Happy and Co design and make homewares in partnership with skilled craftspeople all over the world and also invest 10% of their profits into the Happy + Co Farm in Cambodia. This story along with the gorgeous monochromatic prints of these tea towels are making me particularly happy right now! They are certainly helping to make our 'in need of ripping out' kitchen look a bit more stylish! 

*thank you to Arum London, LaLa Loves Decor and Happy & Co for gifting me these lovely items. 

July: a Month of Lovely

Argh! Once again I'm super late with this post! I need to catch up on myself! So actually some of these things are from August rather than July! Perhaps I'll take a month off and restart in October... There is now over 7K images under the #amonthoflovely tag on IG, wonderful! Anyway, on to what has made my month lovely...

Writing for In The Moment magazine - I mentioned last month that I am now the Living columnist for In The Moment magazine, which I am so chuffed about! In the current issue I'm talking about impromptu picnics and how to use things from your home to create a beautiful garden or park picnic at a moments notice. I'm also writing some other features for them, and this one above is in the current issue, where I talked to Niki of My Scandinavian Home blog about her favourite space at home where she goes to relax. I love Niki's blog and books, so it was great to find out more about her home. Have you checked out this new mag yet? It's a really nice read. 

New e-zine from 91 Magazine - In other work-related news, we've just launched a new product under the 91 Magazine brand, which is free! It is a 12 page digi-mag available exclusively to our mailing list subscribers. It'll be publishing on a quarterly basis, and is a little treat for our readers to enjoy in between our print editions. The first one published this week and focusses on plants and seasonal produce and includes a printable seasonal calendar. Don't worry if you aren't a subscriber yet,, you can still get it if you register your email here. 

Weekend in Bristol - My hubby's work pattern changed recently, which means he sometimes has time off in the week but is away a bit more too. He recently had to work in Bristol, and as I've been busting to go there for ages, we decided to go up and meet him and stay a night in an Airbnb. We had such a lovely time, it really is a great city - and of course I had to make the trip to Papersmiths and Mon Pote (who both stock 91 - although both were sold out during our visit!) You can't really leave either shop without a purchase or two, so above you'll see the lovely stationery bits I picked up in Papersmiths.

Exploring London - We've also been getting out and about back at home. Since moving house, we realised our train connections to South East London are really quite good, and as this is one area of London we don't really know, I've been trying to explore it a little. We took a trip up to Crystal Palace recently, where Ruby enjoyed the park with the dinosaurs, and I enjoyed checking out the shops around the Triangle. I bought the little fern pictured here in The Secret Garden, which has a great selection of house plants as well as garden plants. I also bought a String of Pearls, which I now need to find a lovely hanging planter for....

Decorating Ruby's bedroom - Our current decorating project is Ruby's bedroom, which has taken a bit longer than I'd hoped. (doesn't it always?!) We had to have it plastered, and then paint the walls, ceiling and floor, as well as hang some wallpaper. We are now just waiting for her new bed to arrive, so in the meantime I've been gathering a few bits and bobs to style it with. I got this lovely minty bedding with shells from Urban Outfitters sale, which was only £18, and the little panda money box was a purchase from our trip to Crystal Palace. I can't wait to show you it when it's all finished and she can finally get back into her bedroom! 

A little garden project - Even while we are doing a room, I'm always thinking (or half working on!) another project in the house! There was actually a wooden play house in the garden when we moved in and my hubby has painted it all, and we discovered it also has a little sandpit underneath. The cover on the sandpit is pretty horrible, so I've decided to make a new one with some plywood, and the plan is to stencil some kind of colourful design on it - I'm just trying to work out the colour palette at the moment, hence the colour cards! 

So, that's what I've been up to lately! A jumble of work, getting out and about and decorating projects! I'd love to see what you've been up to, so keep sharing your pics with #amonthoflovely xxx

June: A Month of Lovely

How's your month been folks? I feel like these monthly posts are really highlighting to me how quickly time whizzes past! I'm getting later and later with them each month! I hope you've had a good few weeks - I've been so enjoying seeing your pics on the gallery on Instagram - there is currently over 5.5K images under #amonthoflovely! Thank you for sharing and tagging your lovely moments. So, here are mine from the month of June....

New camera love - I recently decided that it was time to invest in a new camera. I've been using a Nikon DSLR for years and I had started to feel it just wasn't giving me the kinds of images I wanted to create, plus the technology was pretty old compared to what is on the market now. So I've taken the plunge and bought the Olympus Pen ELP-8. I also got the 17mm lens from eBay which is definitely a game changer. I will write a post about why I'm loving this camera so much soon, but for now, you can see some of the images I've taken on it on my Instagram feed. 

Handwritten cards - I LOVE a handwritten card. As much as you can say the same thing in an email, it is so much nicer when it comes inside a pretty card. It was our 4th wedding anniversary in June, so hubby gave me the 'you shine like a star' card, and I received the other floral card from Libby at &Hobbs. You may have seen we featured &Hobbs in our Talking Shop feature in the current issue of 91 Magazine? I've met Libby a few times now when I've visited the shop in Shere, and she is SO lovely - and on my last visit she gave me this lovely card to say thanks for the feature. Such a lovely gesture. 

New writing work - I'm so excited to share the news that I am now a magazine columnist! A while back I was asked by the editor of a soon-to-launch magazine if I would like to write their 'Living' column, and I of course was totally honoured to take up the position! The first issue launched a few weeks back, so you can now pick up In The Moment magazine in the shops. The focus is mindfulness and well being in all areas of your life - health, creativity, living and travel. It feels like a very down-to-earth, relatable magazine, so do check it out - I'd love to hear what you think! 

Spaces by Frankie Magazine - I was in London last month celebrating our anniversary with the other half, and picked up this gorgeous volume of Spaces while I was there. It is packed full of gorgeous homes to pore over, I'm just waiting for the right time to really get stuck into it! I would SO love to do something similar to this with 91 Magazine - what do you think?! 

Come on over to Instagram and say hi - I'm @patchworkhrmy and share your lovely moments with #amonthoflovely. x

May: A Month of Lovely

We are half way through the year already, and I am really trying to savour these months as much as possible. While we might not be getting the wall to wall sunshine that we hope for every summer, we've had some great days of weather here and there, and even when it's not that sunny, I still enjoy the longer days of light, so much better for taking photos! We had a week away in France, where the weather was also mixed, but even when it poured for a whole day, I spent the time relaxing indoors, watching films and napping - which I literally NEVER do! So here's the things that have made my month lovely.... don't forget to share yours too online with #amonthoflovely. 

Reading actual books - I've had a Kindle for a few years now, and I do love the handiness of it, but when it comes to beautiful lifestyle books nothing compares to the real thing. I recently received a selection of books to review on the blog and I've so enjoyed sitting down with a cuppa and flicking through the pages. I'm particularly enjoying this one A Year Between Friends, isn't the cover just gorgeous?! If you are looking for some great books to add to your reading list, do check out the summer books post.

Printing actual photos - There's a theme developing here ('scuse the pun!) of enjoying things in analogue rather than digitally! I definitely don't do enough of this. I take pictures on my phone nearly every single day, and while many make it onto Instagram or Facebook, many just languish on my phone never seeing the light of day. It's fair to say it is the best shots that make it on to social media, and as I do look at my Instagram feed numerous times a day, I guess I do 'look' at the pictures regularly, but I think it is nice to actually print your favourites and dot them around your home. You don't even need to frame them, simply tacking them up with washi tape is a relaxed, fun way to display your faves, and you can change them as and when you feel like it. It's SO easy to print these days too, I generally use an app like Printic, where you can order directly from your phone.

Shopping indie - The power of social media really is tremendous when it comes to discovering new things, whether that's creative people, small businesses, restaurants or travel destinations. Everyone has there own reasons and ways of using the likes of Instagram, but one of my favourite things is finding new independent shops and designers to shop with. One such store I recently started following is Lilac Coast. It's a gorgeous online shop based in Dorset and Alice not only has a beautiful IG feed, she stocks some really lovely things for the home. She recently posted a pic of this little ceramic planter and I HAD to have it! I knew it would be perfect for my string of hearts plant. Check out the website, you'll be sure to fall in love with something too!

Rediscovering my love of flea markets - I've mentioned before on the blog how my style has been evolving of late and I've been buying more contemporary items for my home. I wasn't sure if that meant that my love for vintage had disappeared or not. But during our holiday in France last week, we visited quite a big brocante, and I quickly realised the thrill of the vintage hunt is still within me! What I discovered though, is that I am now much more considered and restrained than I used to be. This time, I had in mind what I was looking for (great plant pots and pink or yellow items) so I managed to bypass items that previously I would've jumped on just because they were super cheap. In the end, I came away with just three things - this yellow tin, a peach coloured plant pot (nearly pink!) and a poster with bird illustrations. I know, I know, the poster didn't fit within my criteria, but it was beautiful, in perfect condition and only €20!! 

Growing peonies - I think peonies may be a staple in my summer 'month of lovely' posts! I know I mentioned my coral favourites in the April round up, but I was thrilled to find these gorgeous white ones had come into bloom in our garden when we got back from holiday! It's typical that they were obviously at their pinnacle while we were away, but I quickly snipped this one to bring indoors to enjoy while I work. I can't take the credit for growing these, as the plants were here when we moved in, but I definitely think I'd like to try and plant a few more for next summer, it would certainly save money on buying them during the season each year! 

That's it for this month, I do hope you enjoy these posts and the little peek into what I've been enjoying in my life lately. Do pop over and say hi on Instagram (I'm @patchworkhrmy) and join in with the project. #amonthoflovely

April: A Month of Lovely

Wow, another month has whizzed by! This year is going ridiculously fast. Since my last A Month of Lovely post, the fab Sara of Me and Orla included the hashtag in her newsletter round up of hashtags you should be using, which has given the tag a massive boost on the number of people using it. Thank you Sara! Hashtags are a funny old thing though, people using them don't necessarily know where they originated from, so if you do use it, feel free to tag me in too, so others might pop along here and find out more about the idea behind it. :) 

Anyway, onto my own Month of Lovely....

Recording my first ever podcast interview - I started getting really into podcasts about 2-3 months ago. There are lots of amazing creative business ones popping up, and I've found they are particularly great to listen to while you are decorating - you can totally focus on the conversation while painting a wall! I've listened to Sara's Hashtag Authentic episodes, lots of A Playful Day's old ones and I had recently started listening to Style Matters by stateside bloggers Zandra and Karen. So I was thrilled (yet scared!) when the ladies emailed me and asked if I wanted to be one of their guests to chat about 91 Magazine, Patchwork Harmony and my book. It is now available to listen to here, or just look them up on your podcast app. 

The latest issue of 91 Magazine - It's always a nerve-wracking week for me when the magazine goes to print and I await the delivery. This time was our biggest print run to date, so it feels even more worrying - what if something goes wrong?! But thankfully, this time we don't seem to have any major problems, and I'm really happy with the issue. This issue is due to be stocked in 50 WH Smith stores which is a big step for us, so do look out for it in the major train stations and airport shops! If you haven't got your copy yet, you can order direct from our site and I urge you to take a look at the beautiful screen prints by Karolin Schnoor (pictured above) that we are selling with the magazine as a bundle. They are so beautiful, which may be tricky to appreciate from photos, but the paper and the metallic ink they are printed with is just stunning. Pop over to the shop, I promise you won't be disappointed! :) 

Peony season - YES! It's here! I'm yet to tire of these beautiful flowers yet, although I often struggle to justify a purchase as they aren't the cheapest. The other day my lovely mum bought me a bunch of my faves - the coral variety which I had in my wedding bouquet. I love watching them go from closed up spheres, to gradually revealing their yellow interior, to finally fading to palest pink... 

The business of Instagram - It really is unbelievable how much Instagram has changed how people promote their business, gain work and generally live their life. When we have a family outing these days, both me and the hubby are trying to get great shots of Ruby or of wherever we are - to post on our Instagram. I don't think it's a bad thing - we both enjoy taking photos, so why not have an incentive to get better shots? I find the use of the app intriguing, particularly in terms of how some people make a living solely from it. I don't expect to be doing that any time soon, but I did buy this book Capture your Style to start looking more closely at how I use it for business. 91 deputy editor Laura reviewed it over on the 91 blog recently if you fancy a peek. 

Magazines I'm reading - I don't get a lot of time to put my feet up and read other magazines, but I've recently stocked up on some others I enjoy, with the plan to catch up on them soon! Lionheart, Frankie and a new one to me, Project Calm are all piled up next to the bed, ready for a perusal. What mags are you reading at the moment? 

So that's lots of goodness from my past few weeks. What about you? Tag your pics with #amonthoflovely or why not join in with your own blog post too? Find me on Instagram at @patchworkhrmy

March: A month of lovely

I can't believe a whole month has passed since my first 'a month of lovely' post! It's been really great to see some of your join in over on Instagram - thank you! Feel free to join in on your blogs too if you fancy going into more detail about what's been making your life lovely recently. 

You can post anytime you like on IG with #amonthoflovely, it doesn't have to be monthly, and it can be anything from the littlest moments that have made you smile to big life changing events. I'm honestly finding it's really helping me to focus on the good in the every day, rather than worrying too much about the not so great things. 

So here goes with my month of lovely....

First sandals of the year - For Mother's Day my gift was this gorgeous pair of Rose Gold Saltwater Sandals. I've been lusting over these since last summer, so I cannot wait to start wearing them. So far they've only travelled into our back garden - I don't wait to get them scuffed or dirty yet - they are too pretty! They also come in kids sizes, so Ruby might just be getting a pair of matching ones for her birthday!

New work plans - This month sees some changes for me career wise. After 15 months of being a part time content director for an interiors brand, I am now officially back to being a freelancer. Even though I freelanced for a few years before that job came up, it's still slightly unsettling, perhaps because of our new house and how much we are putting into that financially. BUT, despite all that I am feeling positive and optimistic that some exciting projects and work will come up soon. If you happen to be interested in working with me you can read more about what I can offer here.

House renovation progress - you may have seen my recent posts on both our downstairs loo makeover and my home office transformation? Well, we are cracking on with other areas of the house, including the living room, where we have just had a beautiful parquet floor laid, and those gorgeous Bert and May tiles in the pic above have been added to the two fireplaces in the room. You can get a little peek of how they look together on my Instagram. There's still a bit more to do in the room - painting, shelving and a bit of styling, so I'll be sure to share it on here soon. I'm loving browsing online and catalogue's like this Nordic House one that arrived today, in search of bits and bobs for the room!

Spring flowers - Spring is definitely my favourite time of the year - I love watching everything outdoors turn from bare and drab to blooming and colourful! The flowers that are in season at this time of the year are firm favourites of mine - hyacinths, ranunculus, anemones, tulips and grape hyacinths to name a few. It's our first spring in the new house, and it's really interesting to see what is popping up in our garden, and also plant a few new things. We've got a red camellia in flower, lots of daffodils and what looks like a few peony plants coming up. I've been planting some ranunculus and anemone bulbs and scattering some wildflower seed which fingers crossed with appear in the summer. 

Styling and shooting - I've been trying to do more shooting for the blog, and this week I've also been working on some images for an exciting collaboration we've just announced with 91 Magazine. I used the little succulent in a few shots I styled of the gorgeous Karolin Schnoor prints that she designed exclusively for 91, and that we are selling alongside the magazine. It's definitely true that the more you use your camera and practice your styling skills the better you get, so if you've been holding back and are lacking in confidence, whether it's for your blog or for Instagram, I'd say just pick up your camera and get cracking! My favourite IG editing app is Colour Story - I use it for pretty much every image I post. 

I'd love to hear about the things that have brought you joy over recent weeks, do share your pics on Instagram with the tag #amonthoflovely and if you do write a blog post, tag me on your social posts about - @patchworkhrmy - I'd love to have a read. x

February: A month of lovely - join in!

At the start of the year my intention was to write a 'plan for 2017' post, but then a not-so-great start to January meant it completely slipped my mind. I always feel it is hard to plan your year, mainly because you just never know what is around the corner. If I had have written that post on the 1st of Jan, I would have been incorporating a new baby into those plans, but that is now not to be (well, for now anyway!) BUT, saying that, I do think it's worth having some goals in place, whether they happen or not. 

SO - one of those goals is to work harder on this blog and be more consistent both here and on social media. It is a struggle juggling 91 Magazine, my part time job and this blog, but I hope that if I organise myself better hopefully it will be more manageable. The first step is to write some more regular posts and to create a calendar for myself to follow. 

This new series - A Month of Lovely - is where I want to share the things that I have been doing, liking, buying and working on over the past month or so. Plus, I would LOVE you to join in and share yours too either on your blog or simply on social media with the hashtag #amonthoflovely. (I'm @patchworkhrmy on Instagram BTW)  It doesn't have to be a collection of things like I have done here, it can be an individual thing, a place, a project, an item of clothing or even a person who has made your month lovely.

So here goes! 

Decorating my office - It is SO nice to have a home office space again! Before we moved house, I was in the corner of the living room, surrounded by all my work junk, but now I have a whole room to spread out in, get creative and store all my bits. We've been busy decorating it and I'm excited to share the pictures soon (there's just a few more finishing touches to add), but here I'm hinting a little to the colour scheme with this gorgeous sheepskin rug from Barker and Stonehouse and the cushion from Rigby and Mac which I bought via Trouva. (read my previous post about my Trouva obsession!) Look out for the office reveal soon! 

Buying clothes again - I spent a good portion of January & February wearing pyjamas or leggings after i had my surgery, and I had started to feel super dowdy. I generally tend to get dressed normally ever day, despite working from home, so in the last few weeks I've felt the need to refresh the wardrobe a little and make myself feel more presentable! I found this cardigan in George at Asda the other day for a bargain £16, the colours are gorgeous (my pink & grey obsession extends to clothes too clearly!) and it is really soft and cosy. A great piece for the transition into Spring. 

Knitting - I have well and truly caught the knitting bug it seems! I'm currently working on another one of these blankets and a scarf. There is actually a giveaway over on the 91 Magazine blog to win £150 for We Are Knitters at the moment in case you are interested - I am totally hooked on their wools and patterns - how lovely is that minty green yarn?!

A growing plant family - Our old flat didn't have bags of natural light, so plants always seemed to struggle, but our new place has lots, so I've found my plant family is multiplying on a weekly basis! I've decided it's time to start keeping a little plant diary - somewhere to note down info about each plant, as I find I forget what each one needs, and have to keep referring to the internet. To have it all in one notebook will be really helpful. 

Painting with dark colours - I very rarely stray from the pale colour spectrum, but in our living room I am introducing a darker shade via our soon-to-arrive cast iron radiators from Castrads, and I am tying in the colour by painting our two fireplace surrounds in the same colour. I've opted for Farrow and Ball Off Black. I have only done a tester spot so far, but it appears to be a really rich dark grey. I can't wait to transform those fireplaces with it! 

That's what's made my February lovely folks! I feel it's a really nice way to reflect on the last few weeks and appreciate the things that have given you a little bit of joy. I do hope you will join in and share yours too on your blog or on Instagram! x