30 April 2015

My Travel Bucket List for 2015

Something that features on my little New Years resolutions list in my head and just happens to be one of my favourite things, is travelling; whether it's venturing to a brand new city in an unfamiliar country, exploring a cove with lots of hidden nooks and crannies, traipsing around a historic town or just relaxing by a pool with a good book! There's so many parts of the world that I would love to see, and they're all places I've never been to before, BUT a lot of them would just be very unrealistic/unattainable right now, so I thought I'd put together a blog post of my three top travel destinations that I could potentially visit this year and with the costs attached! 


AMSTERDAM
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Tulips have long been iconically 'Amsterdam', ever since they were first planted by Carolus Clusius, the Head Botanist at local University of Leiden in 1593. Even now Dutch tulip growers dominate the market with 4.23 billion tulip bulbs produced each year! I'd love to visit the Amsterdam Tulip Museum to delve more into the horticultural history of Holland, and also explore the Keukenhof, which is the world's largest flower gardens! 

Moving on from flowers, I've heard through the grapevine (or more like stalking Liv's insta's and posts) that it's not only a beautiful city, but one that's also filled with really quirky shops and pretty places to eat. Sounds like the perfect city for me! 

And after all that, it's even filled with beautiful, iconic architecture and history. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to visit the Anne Frank House to truly see how she and her family lived for the 2 years during WW2. The house at Prinsengracht 263 contains a sobering exhibition all about the persecution of the Jews and it's something that I just couldn't miss seeing. 
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Links
♥ I love this website for all things Amsterdam: http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting
♥ And these blog posts from What Olivia Did, Gh0stparties & I Want You To Know!
Getting there
♥ You can get one way flights to Amsterdam from £28.99 each in May, from Easyjet
Staying there
This airbnb B&B is from £44 a night, is right on the waterfront and looks really cute and homely inside!
Hotel The Exchange has been designed so that every room is 'dressed like a model' - think 17th-century style ruffs and crazy 80s print jumpers! If, like me, you'd want to stay somewhere a little bit quirky, you can find lots more hotels that are just the ticket here
♥ Or why not go all Amsterdam-y and stay in a traditional houseboat?! 


SANTORINI
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Santorini is seriously high up on my wish list of visits - the beautiful rolling hills covered with iconic white and blue houses, the deepest and clearest blue sea, fresh flowers and blossoms and, of course, greek food! I've only ever been to one other Greek island; Corfu, and I loved, loved, loved it so much and I'm visiting Paxos later this year, but Santorini has and probably always will be my dream destination (ever since I saw the Sisterhood of Travelling Pants - just me?), and I can just imagine waking up in an all white bedroom, chucking on a billowy white dress and meandering around the little streets whilst indulging on fresh fruit and lots of bread and jams! 
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Links
♥ The Lonely Planet have a great all-rounder website, showcasing everything from the best things to do during the day, best restaurants and hotels to stay. 
Getting there
You can get one way flights to Santorini from £34.99, but that's in October, however the price doesn't increase too drastically if you're going in the height of summer! 
Staying there
I'm obsessed with this little villa - look at how white it is and the size of the balcony, for £88 per night! 
♥ Hotels in Santorini are pretty pricey, but you can find affordable suites that are a bit more private! 

ICELAND
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I was lucky enough to visit Iceland with the school quite a few years ago, and I remember vowing to myself that it wouldn't be long before I would be back - that was at least 6 years ago now! I can't quite remember every single thing we did but the beauty of the island is something I'll never forget. I love wild landscapes that are mountainous and filled with dark green forests as far as the eye can see  - Iceland has all this as well as geysers, volcanoes, glaciers and lots of brightly coloured houses! And of course, you can't forget the heaven that is the Blue Lagoon. All in all, I just so badly want to go back and visit it for myself this time!

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Links

♥ Seeing The Little Magpie's photos only made me want to go back even more! She's put an amazing series of posts together, from where to stay to the top things to do on your trip
Getting there
♥  Flights are a little bit more expensive, with one way starting from around £50 with Easyjet
Staying there
There's so many affordable rooms, B&Bs and private apartments on Airbnb, I especially love the look of this quirky apartment right in the centre of Reykjavík
• If you'd be looking for something a little bit more special, all of these hotels look truly unique!

 Where would be on your travel bucketlist? If you've been to any of the three destinations above, please do let me know if there's any must-sees I've missed out on! 

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22 April 2015

Bloomin' hell: DIY Spring Floral Arrangement

charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
Hello! I've got a slightly different post here that I'm really excited to share with you, as it's the type of content that I want to be posting more of on this little piece of internet. You may all already be aware, but I recently (nearly a month now!) left my job as a Digital Media Consultant to become freelance and focus more on editorial and interior styling. It was a really scary decision to make, and to be honest I still frequently freak out a lot, but it was the right thing to do! There's lots of different things going on and lots to look forward to, but for now, I wanted to share a new feature; Bloomin' Hell, where I'll be sharing different and seasonal bouquets and floral designs, all with DIYs with help from my florist mum! You can find her on Facebook and Twitter!
I love spring flowers with their pastel petals and the fact that their blooming seems to welcome in the sunny weather, so I chose a vintage sylvac vase from The Other Duckling, that perfectly complimented them!
charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
1. Select your flowers
To make sure that the arrangement stands out it's always a good idea to choose the main showcase flowers. Because this vase is quite wide, I thought it might look better with more than one main flower, so I chose hyacinths and tulips, as they're the perfect spring flowers and also carry across the pastel shades from the vase. charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
2. Prep your arrangement!
Once you've got your vase ready to go and your flower stems all cut, you'll need to prep your Oasis! You can either use Oasis (a foam that flowers can be pushed into) or chicken wire, but due to the wide and deep shape of the vase, I'm using Oasis to ensure that all of the flowers are kept safely in position. If you're using Oasis like me, you need to shave it to the shape of the vase using a knife (I had to get my mum to do this for me - I'm known for being clumsy!), but make sure that it is always slightly taller than the vase itself, so there's a good inch sticking up. You'll then need to soak the Oasis in cold water, but never push it down as it will let in air bubbles - simply place it a full bowl/bucket and wait for it to sink! 
charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
3. Layer in the foliage!
Choose 2 or 3 different types of natural greens to flesh out the arrangement - we used greenery from the garden, such as pittosporum, but you could also use anything green that you like the look of!  
charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
4. Decorate with flowers!
Once you've filled the majority of the Oasis with the foliage, you need to start adding in the flowers. Start with the ones you wish to dominate the arrangement carry on from there. Cut the flowers down to the size you wish, and if the stem is too soft, you can always wrap wire around the stem to strengthen it in the Oasis. As I wanted the hyacinth's to be the showcase flower, I started with that, then moved onto the tulips, daisies, solidago and statice. Once all of the flowers were in place, I then just kept adding in the rest of the foliage until there was no more visible space in the Oasis, to make it as full and voluptuous as possible!
charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
charlestown vintage spring floral DIY arrangement
5. Looking after your flowers
When your spring floral arrangement is looking perfect, make sure you showcase it somewhere worthy (also somewhere that enjoys the sun)! Give it a spritz of water all over, and just keep an eye on it to make sure that the Oasis stays damp, to prevent the flowers drying out. Usually an arrangement like this should last a couple of days, so enjoy!
charlestown vintage spring floral diy arrangement
I was sent this beautiful vase from The Other Duckling but my words and my love for it are all my own! And a huge thank you to my mum, Botanic Events, for helping me out with this post!
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9 April 2015

Home Details: Copper Wall Mirrors

charlestown vintage wall mirror copper I am currently obsessed with hanging wall mirrors. I didn't know it was possible, but I can officially share that an obscene love for mirrors is possible guys! The thing about hanging wall mirrors is that they fit perfectly into the current interior trends that everyone seems to be loving, whether that be industrial, rustic styles or more simple and plain, whilst still being classic!
charlestown vintage wall mirror copper I really love feature walls, filled with lots of different prints, photos and frames of all different sizes that slightly clash yet compliment each other, and it wasn't until I saw round mirrors featured in a homes magazine that I considered then having their own deserved spot on the wall. However, they also look amazing on their own (as you can see below) because they're so simple whilst still showcasing a slightly different, retro feel with the chain wall-hanging and copper detailing (my favourite at the moment!). I love how they look against a plain white backdrop, surrounded by lots of different succulents and house plants - maybe this is where my terrariums will come in handy!
charlestown vintage wall mirror copper If like me, you're on the lookout for the perfect copper mirror, I've scoured the internet and included links to some of my favourites, in a range of different sizes and prices - let me know which is your favourite!

Oliver BonasRound Copper Hanging Mirror with linked chain, £35
Rose and Grey: Rustic Round Mirror with Hanging Rope, £35
H&M: Oval Metal Hanging Mirror available in copper, gold or silver, £12.99
All Things Brighton Beautiful: Rectangular Copper Mirror with hanging chain, £69.95
John Lewis: Large Brass hanging mirror with leather strap, £60


This post is a little different to my usual ramblings so I would love to know your thoughts. Also, let me know if there's any particular interior trend you'd like me to hunt down alternatives for! Thank you, xo.


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7 April 2015

A little Hoppy Easter break!

Hello! I hope you all had a lovely little Easter break? I spent mine in our little place by the sea, just outside of Sidmouth in a little village called Salcombe Regis (have you ever been?). It was the perfect relaxing weekend, filled with lots of sunshine and warm weather, cliff-side and seaside walks, more than enough food (and most importantly, chocolate), reading time and plenty of seaside town visits!

Did you have a lovely weekend? I'd love to know what you've been up to? Also, if you live in South Devon and know of some places that I really must be visiting, please let me know as I'll probably be down there a few times this year!
charlestown vintage easter devon
charlestown vintage easter devon charlestown vintage easter devon charlestown vintage easter devon charlestown vintage easter devon charlestown vintage easter devon
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